BY RWENZORI DAILY
Kasese, Uganda, July 16, 2025
The persecution of opposition activist Faith Atholere has taken yet another devastating turn, this time claiming the life of her five-year-old son, Don Trevor, after her home in Rukoki ward, Nyamwamba Division, Kasese Municipality, was attacked by armed men in the early hours of July 15, 2025.
The tragedy comes just over a year after Atholere’s husband, Mr. Sekanjako Festo, was left hospitalized following a brutal assault by plain-clothed gunmen who stormed their home in May 2024. Together, the two incidents paint a harrowing picture of a family trapped in Uganda’s escalating crackdown on political opposition.
The July 15 Attack
According to relatives who were inside the house that night, the attackers arrived around 1 a.m., knocking persistently but refusing to identify themselves.
“They kept silent at first, then began calling out the names Sekanjako and Faith,” one family member recounted, still visibly shaken. “When we did not open, they started banging the door. We screamed for help but no one came. Finally, they broke in and began beating us, demanding to know where Faith and Festo were. The children cried uncontrollably.”
The relatives said the gunmen wore masks, while others stood guard outside the compound. After the assault, the family fled into nearby bushes, too terrified to remain indoors.
“We spent the whole night in the cold,” the family member added. “When we returned in the morning, we found Don Trevor had died.”
A Child Lost
At Rukoki Health Center IV, nurse Dennis Musana pronounced the boy dead upon arrival. A postmortem examination was later carried out, which revealed that the child, who had been suffering from pneumonia, had succumbed after spending the night exposed to cold in the bush.
The body was then handed over to relatives and taken home for burial, with the National Unity Platform (NUP) leading the send-off.
The District NUP Chairperson, Mr. Brian Basisa, read the eulogy, condemning what he called “a deliberate campaign to terrorize opposition families.”
At the burial, Mr. Sam Baluku, the NUP Parliamentary aspirant for Kasese Municipality, told mourners:
“This child’s death is not just a family tragedy, it is a national shame. A five-year-old has paid the price for a political struggle he never chose. This is barbaric, and we will not keep silent.”
At the time, Mr. Bazil Baluku, Atholere’s father, lamented:
“My daughter chose politics to stand for truth, but now the whole family is paying the price. Even the innocent are beaten, and homes are no longer safe.”
Officials Silent, Families Terrified
Despite mounting attacks, authorities have largely remained unresponsive. Resident District Commissioner (RDC) Joe Walusimbui previously declined to comment on the 2024 assault. On the latest incident, Rwenzori East Regional Police spokesperson SP Nelson Tumushime confirmed the child’s death and the attack but said only that investigations were underway.
“No one called the police during the night,” he said. “We were informed in the morning, and inquiries have been launched. We cannot yet confirm who was behind the incident.”
A History of Defiance in Kasese
Kasese District has long stood as a bastion of opposition defiance. In the 2016 elections, residents overwhelmingly rejected ruling party candidates, and in the years since, the region has faced waves of security crackdowns.
During the November 2020 protests, when opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) was arrested, Kasese youths were among the more than 50 people killed nationwide. Local NUP offices have repeatedly been raided, with dozens of activists detained.
For Faith Atholere, who became a chief mobilizer for NUP in Kasese in May 2020, this environment has defined her activism, door-to-door campaigns, radio talk shows, and grassroots mobilization that consistently put her in conflict with security operatives.
The Human Cost
Today, Atholere’s whereabouts remain unknown. Relatives whisper she may have fled the country, but her location has not been confirmed. Her husband’s health remains fragile after last year’s assault, and now the family mourns the loss of their youngest member.
“We feel abandoned,” said Mr. Yunasi Muhindo, Atholere’s elder brother. “We even went to the RDC to plead for forgiveness, but we were turned away. Now, a child is gone, and still no one listens.”
NUP spokesperson Joel Ssenyonyi condemned the latest attack in Kasese:
“This regime no longer stops at silencing opposition voices, it is now punishing families. They want to break us with fear. But we will not abandon the struggle for justice.”
As mourners laid little Don Trevor to rest on July 16, the mood was one of grief and defiance. His small grave has become a symbol of the heavy toll politics continues to exact on families in Kasese.
“The family is broken,” Atholere’s father said quietly. “But we pray for justice, and for the day when our children can live without fear.”
For now, the Atholere home stands silent, its walls scarred by violence, its future uncertain, and its story a sobering reflection of Uganda’s deepening political conflict.
The burial took place under the heavy watch of security forces, with police patrol vehicles stationed nearby.
