Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kampala (Agenzia Fides) – The Masaka High Court has granted bail to Father Deusdedit Ssekabira, who has been in custody since December 2025. Father Ssekabira was reported missing on December 3. Nearly two weeks after his disappearance, the Ugandan Ministry of National Defence announced on December 14 that the priest had been arrested by security forces on charges of participating in “violent subversive activities against the state” (see Fides, 17/12/2025). The circumstances of his arrest have been described as unconstitutional by the Uganda Catholic Lawyers Society (UCLS). On December 23, the priest, who is parish priest of Bumangi Parish in the Diocese of Masaka, was charged with money laundering and subsequently transferred to the Masaka court for trial (see Fides, 20/1/2026).
On February 10, Judge Victoria Nakintu Katamba ruled that Father Ssekabira would be released on bail of 15 million shillings (3,600 euros) and a guarantee of 50 million shillings (12,000 euros). The ruling ended more than two months of detention after previous attempts to secure his release had failed. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 13/2/2026)
