She Helped Write Uganda’s Constitution. Now She’s Fighting for Bail.

KAMPALA — She entered the courtroom supported by two women, visibly frail, complaining of severe back pain. “I came to court crawling,” Dr Miria Matembe told the magistrate on Wednesday. “Is evidence only on paper? You can see I am not well.”
The 73-year-old former Minister for Ethics and Integrity — one of the architects of Uganda’s 1995 Constitution — appeared before the Luzira Chief Magistrate’s Court on July 1, 2026, for the hearing of her bail application, one day after being charged with promoting sectarianism and remanded to Luzira Prison. It is the first time in her decades-long career that Matembe has ever been formally arrested — and for many Ugandans, it represents the breaking of a presidential promise.
How It Unfolded
The crisis began on June 23 when armed security operatives raided Matembe’s home on Portbell Lake Drive Zone in Luzira. She was not there. Tipped off in advance, she had slipped away while jogging and gone into hiding. Her family said they could not reach her. Authorities issued no statement. The Uganda Law Society demanded her immediate production before court. Former MP Odonga Otto broke down in tears on live radio, asking repeatedly: “Where is Miria Matembe?” His emotional appeal went viral across Uganda’s social media.
She was eventually found and arrested at a hotel along Gayaza Road. Chief of Defence Forces General Muhoozi Kainerugaba confirmed her arrest on X — but described the charge as “impersonation,” a characterisation that did not match what prosecutors presented in court.
The Charge
On Tuesday evening, June 30, prosecutors charged Matembe with promoting sectarianism contrary to Section 38(1)(d) of the Penal Code Act, alleging that during a DK TV Uganda interview in June she stated “all our taxes are being spent on the Banyankole women ministers” — remarks the state says were likely to promote hostility against the Banyankole ethnic community. Matembe denied the charge and pleaded not guilty. Her lawyers immediately sought bail on health grounds. Magistrate Sheilla Gloria Atim declined, citing the absence of formal medical evidence and the lateness of the hour, and remanded Matembe to Luzira overnight.
The Bail Hearing
On Wednesday morning, Uganda Law Society Vice President Anthony Asiimwe presented her credentials to court: former MP, former minister, Constitutional Assembly delegate, Constitutional Commission member, founding Pan-African Parliament member, enrolled advocate since 1979 and holder of a Doctorate of Laws. Her proposed sureties included MP Naome Kabasharira, advocate Prima Kwagala and Makerere University law lecturer Godber Tumushabe. The prosecution requested one hour to respond. The magistrate adjourned until after 2:00 pm. A ruling was pending at the time of publication.
The Bigger Picture
In her 2019 memoir, Matembe wrote that President Museveni personally promised she would never be arrested under his rule. That passage has resurfaced this week with fresh and painful relevance.
Once a trusted NRM ally who championed women’s rights and constitutional governance from inside the system, Matembe gradually became one of its sharpest critics — opposing the removal of presidential term limits, challenging military influence in civilian affairs, and demanding accountability from leaders she believed had abandoned their founding ideals. In recent weeks she had openly criticised Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba’s growing public profile.
The Uganda Women’s Movement condemned the raid on her home as unlawful. The National Unity Platform, civil society leaders, human rights lawyers and former opposition figures have all rallied to her cause — even as the government has remained silent.
The woman who helped build the legal architecture now being used against her was waiting on Wednesday afternoon to find out if a court would let her go home.

SOURCE NILEPOST