By Hannah Marion Namukasa
Lieutenant Colonel Edgar Musasizi, the Director of Civil Affairs at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, swore an affidavit denying that Mugumya had been held in military detention facilities.
Musasizi said searches of relevant military facilities and their records had found no entry indicating that Mugumya had been detained since August 26, 2025.
The Uganda Police Force also distanced itself from the matter last year. Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said he had not received any briefing indicating that the activist had been arrested or detained by the force.
The denials have left Mugumya’s family, lawyers and opposition figures demanding that authorities either produce him before court or explain his whereabouts.
Mugumya’s lawyers first filed a habeas corpus application in 2025, seeking to compel the relevant authorities to produce him before court and account for his alleged detention.
On September 5, 2025, the High Court’s Civil Division issued a writ of habeas corpus in Miscellaneous Cause No. 227 of 2025, directing the relevant military authorities to produce him so that the legality of his alleged detention could be examined.
The application was brought under Articles 23(9) and 44(d) of the Constitution, which protect personal liberty and recognise habeas corpus as a right that cannot be suspended.
The legal proceedings continued into 2026, with lawyers filing another application, registered as Miscellaneous Cause No. 0208 of 2026, on August 5.
They later complained about delays in hearing the matter and asked Principal Judge Jane Frances Abodo to assign it to another judge after scheduled hearings failed to proceed.
The November 9 hearing is expected to provide another opportunity for the court to consider the application and efforts to establish Mugumya’s whereabouts.
Mugumya’s case attracted concern from opposition figures, including Winnie Byanyima, the wife of detained opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye.
At the time, Byanyima described the reported arrest as politically motivated.
“Deeply concerned about the arrest of my friend Sam Mugumya today. Sam is contesting the Rukungiri Municipality parliamentary seat. He is a law-abiding citizen. This is political,” Byanyima said.
Mugumya had announced plans to contest for the Rukungiri Municipality parliamentary seat on the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) ticket.
The incident occurred as he prepared to return to elective politics after spending more than eight years in detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The case continues to raise questions about the accountability of security agencies when individuals are alleged to have been taken into custody.
