The whereabouts of Baba TV journalist Jjengo Eria remain unknown six days after he disappeared from the station’s Ntinda newsroom, with his employer appealing to security agencies and the public to help establish where he is and ensure his safe return.
Eria, who is attached to the Baba TV newsroom, was last seen at around midday on Thursday, September 10, 2026, after leaving the station’s head office in Ntinda. The station says his last movements were captured on its closed-circuit television cameras.
His disappearance has since triggered concern among his family, colleagues and members of the wider media fraternity, with questions growing over what happened to him after he left the newsroom.
Baba TV management has reported the matter to police and appealed for information that could help trace the journalist. The station has also released telephone contacts through which members of the public can provide information about his whereabouts.
The appeal has come from Baba Media Group chairperson Balyeku Moses Grace, who said the prolonged disappearance of Eria was deeply concerning and called on security authorities to urgently establish his whereabouts.
“As Chairperson of Baba Media Group, I am deeply concerned about the continued disappearance of our colleague, Jjengo Eria, a journalist attached to the Baba TV newsroom,” Balyeku said.
According to accounts received by the station, witnesses in the Ntinda area reported seeing a Toyota Noah and a Toyota Premio around the time Eria disappeared. The witnesses reportedly said the vehicles left the area together, with the Noah heading in the direction of Kisaasi and the Premio following behind.
“According to eyewitnesses, Eria was taken away in a Noah vehicle, with a Premio reportedly following behind. The two vehicles were seen speeding off together, heading towards Kisaasi,” Balyeku said.
The circumstances described by the witnesses have not been independently established, and it remains unclear who occupied the vehicles or whether the person reportedly taken away was Eria. Baba TV has, however, asked security authorities to investigate the accounts and use available CCTV footage to establish what happened.
Baba TV said the journalist’s last known movements were recorded at its Ntinda offices, adding that there has been no clear public account of his whereabouts since then. The station has appealed to anyone who may have seen Eria after he left the newsroom to provide information to investigators.
The disappearance has also drawn the attention of the Uganda Journalists Association, which has joined calls for authorities to establish the journalist’s whereabouts. UJA and Baba TV held a joint engagement over the matter as concern mounted within the media fraternity.
Reports from colleagues indicate that concern first arose after Eria left the station and did not return. His colleagues reportedly tried to reach him on his mobile phones, but the attempts were unsuccessful, while some of his belongings remained at his workstation.
Balyeku said the uncertainty surrounding Eria’s whereabouts had caused distress to his family, colleagues and the wider Baba Media Group community.
“I appeal to anyone with information about his whereabouts to come forward and help us establish where he is. I further call upon the relevant security authorities to urgently provide an update on his whereabouts and ensure his safe return,” he said.
The case has generated a wave of concern among journalists and other members of the public, with several people using social media to appeal for Eria’s safe return and call for authorities to establish what happened to him.
Some social media users have also described Eria as a journalist who regularly covered political and public affairs and interacted with security officials in the course of his work. Those comments, however, do not establish a motive for his disappearance, and there is no verified information publicly identifying who may have taken him or why.
The Uganda media fraternity has previously raised concerns over the safety of journalists, particularly during politically sensitive assignments. Eria himself was among journalists arrested in October 2023 while covering events surrounding the return of National Unity Platform leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, although there is currently no evidence linking that incident to his disappearance.
For now, the central question remains where Eria is and what happened to him after he left the Baba TV premises in Ntinda.
Baba Media Group has urged security agencies to treat the matter with urgency and provide information to his family and colleagues, while appealing to anyone with credible information to contact the station.
“We need Eria back safely,” Balyeku said.
The management noted that anyone with information that could help trace Jjengo Eria should contact Baba TV on 0777 090261 or 0701 560134.
