Police deny holding MP Tinkasimire, say 'we as concerned as public'

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Police have denied holding Buyaga West Member of Parliament Barnabas Tinkasimire.

The legislator was reportedly picked up by unidentified security operatives over the weekend from a fuel station in Wandegeya, a Kampala suburb.

Speaking during the weekly joint security media briefing at Police headquarters in the Kampala city suburb of Naguru on Monday, June 30, 2025, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said Police have no official record of the legislator’s arrest.

“As police, I want to clearly state that we do not have Barnabas Tinkasimire in any of our Police cells,” Kituuma said. “We have not received any formal briefing regarding his detention. We are as concerned as the public.”

Kituuma explained that while the police is the primary institution responsible for law enforcement, other state agencies also possess powers of arrest.

“I always emphasise this—the powers of arrest do not lie solely with the Uganda Police Force. Other authorised security institutions can lawfully detain individuals,” he said.

“But at this point, we can confirm that he is not in our custody.”

Reports of Tinkasimire’s disappearance began circulating Sunday evening, with witnesses alleging that he was whisked away by plainclothes security operatives at a fuel station in Wandegeya.

Efforts to reach his family or legal representatives for comment were still ongoing by press time.