“We Have Checked For Him In All Our Basements But Still Didn’t See Him” UPDF Denies Having A Hand In The Disappearance Of Besigye’s Boy Sam Mugumya

The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have denied detaining opposition activist Sam Mugumya, despite claims from his lawyers and political allies that he was picked up by security operatives late last month. The Army told the High Court that checks across all its detention facilities revealed no record of his presence.

In an official statement filed on September 11, 2025, Lt. Col. Edgar Musasizi, Director of Civil Affairs at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, said he had investigated the matter on behalf of the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and the Directorate of Defence Intelligence and Security. His report concluded that Mugumya “has not at any material time been in the custody of the respondents.”

“We have searched all relevant detention facilities’ records and found no entry relating to the said Sam Mugumya between 26th August 2025 and to date,” Musasizi stated. He added that inquiries across all UPDF-controlled facilities found no officer with knowledge of his detention.

The statement was submitted in response to a High Court order issued earlier in September, after the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), Mugumya’s political group, petitioned for a writ of habeas corpus. Justice Collins Acellam ruled that the state must account for his disappearance, emphasizing that habeas corpus is a constitutional right meant to prevent unlawful detention.

Mugumya, a longtime opposition figure and former aide to Dr. Kizza Besigye, was reportedly arrested in Mbarara on August 26, 2025. His lawyers claim he was transferred to a military facility in Mbuya, Kampala, where he has allegedly been held incommunicado, without access to family or legal counsel.

Opposition leaders and human rights groups remain skeptical of the UPDF’s denial. They argue that the timing of Mugumya’s disappearance, along with his rising popularity as a prospective MP for Rukungiri Municipality, makes it unlikely that the Army is unaware of his whereabouts. “Simply saying they don’t have him is not enough. The state must tell us where Sam is,” a PFF official told journalists.

Human rights organizations have also raised concerns, warning that Mugumya’s disappearance reflects a troubling pattern of enforced disappearances in Uganda. The High Court has now set a strict deadline for the state to either produce him or explain his whereabouts. For his family, friends, and political allies, the pressing question remains: Where is Sam Mugumya?