The Deputy President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) for Northern Uganda, Dr. Lina Zedriga, has been transferred to the female section of Luzira Maximum Security Prison over what authorities describe as “security reasons.”
An official from the Uganda Prisons Service confirmed that Dr. Zedriga, 64, is currently being held at Luzira following her transfer from Gulu Main Prison over the weekend.
Dr. Zedriga was remanded to Gulu Main Prison last Friday by Chief Magistrate Augustine Alule.
She had been charged with incitement to violence contrary to Section 79(1) of the Penal Code Act, weeks after she was reportedly declared missing from her home in Kampala a day after the January 15 general elections.
Although the court had ordered her remand at Gulu Main Prison (female section) until February 17—when she is expected to reappear before the Gulu Magistrate’s Court—she was moved from Gulu City to Luzira Maximum Prison shortly thereafter.
Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Frank Baine confirmed the transfer on Tuesday, citing security concerns but declining to provide specific details.
He, however, strongly denied any influence from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) or the Uganda Police Force in the decision to relocate her.
Dr. Zedriga, a former magistrate, had reportedly been missing for nearly a month following the January 15 general election, the results of which were rejected by her party.
The Electoral Commission declared President Yoweri Museveni the winner with 71.65 percent of the vote, securing a seventh term in office.
His closest challenger, NUP president Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, garnered 27.42 percent. Kyagulanyi has reportedly kept a low public profile since the elections.
Since Dr. Zedriga’s reappearance before the Gulu Chief Magistrate’s Court last week, several women leaders in Northern Uganda have condemned the charges against her, describing them as politically motivated, and have called for her unconditional release.
Gulu City Woman Member of Parliament Betty Aol Ocan is reportedly mobilizing fellow female leaders to visit Dr. Zedriga in prison in a show of solidarity.
By Our Reporter
11th Feb 2026
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