Missing Ugandan Priest Confirmed in Military Custody Over Alleged "Subversive Activities"


-By Ruben Mario Brodrick 

​After days of agonizing uncertainty and widespread concern, the Ugandan defense authorities have finally broken their silence, confirming that Fr. Deusdedit Ssekabira is currently being held in military custody. The Catholic priest, a prominent figure in the Masaka Diocese who serves as the assistant Parish Priest at Bumangi Parish and Director of Uplift Primary School, had vanished earlier this month, sparking a wave of prayers and frantic searches led by his Bishop. In a formal statement released by the Acting Director of Defence Public Information, Col. Chris Magezi, the military clarified that Fr. Ssekabira was arrested in connection with what they describe as "violent subversive activities against the state" and threats to national security.

​The official military position maintains that Fr. Ssekabira is being held legally to assist with further investigations and will eventually be produced in a court of law to face formal charges. However, this clarification follows a period of deep distress for the local Catholic community. Bishop Serverus Jjumba, the Local Ordinary of Masaka Diocese, had previously reported that the priest was forcibly taken on December 3 from his office in Katwe, Masaka City, by men wearing army uniforms and driving a "drone" vehicle. Describing the event as a “grievous wound” to the diocese and the priest's family, the Bishop had initially feared the worst when early efforts to locate him proved fruitless.

​In response to the disappearance, Bishop Jjumba turned to the power of faith, directing the clergy and the faithful to observe a Rosary Triduum using the Sorrowful Mysteries. This spiritual mobilization was not just an act of devotion but a plea for divine intervention during a time of fear. The Bishop’s anguish was further deepened by the historical scars of the Masaka Diocese; he pointedly recalled the 1975 kidnapping of Msgr. Clement Mukasa, who vanished from the same cathedral and was never seen again. By invoking the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows, the Bishop sought to comfort a community shaken by the echoes of a painful past.

​While the military's confirmation provides an answer to the priest's whereabouts, it opens a complex new chapter in Church-state relations in Uganda. As the case moves toward the formal judicial system, the focus now turns to the evidence supporting the military's serious allegations of subversion and whether Fr. Ssekabira will receive the due process guaranteed under the law. For now, the Masaka Diocese remains in a state of watchful prayer, waiting for their priest to face the justice system and hoping for a resolution that preserves both the rule of law and the sanctity of the clerical office.

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