On July 19, 2025, Eric Yiga received a call from someone who asked to meet him at a local restaurant in the central Ugandan district of Mukono, promising him a news tip on alleged municipal corruption, the journalist told CPJ. Yiga, who runs the news site Insight Post and freelances for the privately owned broadcaster Salt Media, said that he and another journalist were arrested at the restaurant by two plain-clothed men.
Yiga told CPJ that the two men identified themselves as officers of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), a presidential watchdog, and asked the journalists to reveal their sources for a now-deleted Insight Post report on alleged corruption in teacher recruitment in Mukono District. Yiga said one man identified himself as a military officer and threatened to kill him.
Yiga said the men took the two journalists to the Central Police Station in the capital Kampala. They were held outside for several hours without being “booked” or formally arrested. They were transferred to the capital’s Jinja Road Police Station, where they were booked and were held for two days.
In a July 21 statement, SHACU said its investigation in Mukono “neither relates to the mentioned journalists nor has it led to their arrest.” That day, the two journalists were released on police bond while investigations continued.
On July 23, Insight Post published a clarification, retracting its earlier report that a municipal official had been arrested in connection with SHACU investigations.
In August 2025, the investigation was closed, Yiga said.