Sam Mugumya Languishing in a Safe House

NUP’s abducted and returned supporter, Raymond Asiku, claimed he found missing political activist Sam Mugumya in one of the safe houses where he had been held. 

According to Asiku, Mugumya was in a deteriorating health state and could barely walk. 

//cue in: “banteeka mu room… 

Cue out: …mukwatilira”// 

URN could not independently verify Asiku’s revelation since the authorities have not confirmed whether he was ever held in the same custody as Sam Mugumya.  

Sam Mugumya was abducted by men dressed in military attire on August 26, 2025, in Mbarara.  This means that if he is alive as claimed by  Asiku, he has been held incommunicado for 157 days.   

Sam Mugumya, a former political aide to Dr Kizza Besigye, was allegedly abducted on August 26 by plain-clothed armed men from Nyamitanga in Mbarara City. 

The police and the army denied that he was under their detention. Lawyers and political actors applied to the High Court in Kampala for a writ of habeas corpus. 

Civil Division judge Collins Acellam issued a writ of habeas corpus, directing that Mugumya be presented before a competent court within seven days.

It had been suspected that Mugumya was being detained at a military facility in Mbuya, Kampala, under the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (formerly CMI). 

The court order was to the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), the Directorate of Intelligence and Security, and the Attorney General.

Lt. Col. Edgar Musasizi, Director of Civil Affairs at the Ministry of Defence, then denied the claims, saying no official detention facility was holding him and describing the application as “frivolous” and meant to tarnish the UPDF’s image. 

Justice Acellam disagreed, stressing the constitutional weight of habeas corpus as a safeguard against unlawful detention.

“This writ is open to all citizens under the protection of the state. It is the solemn duty of state authorities to ensure such rights are upheld,” he said. 

The judge ruled that the military’s denial did not sufficiently address the claims surrounding Mugumya’s arrest and disappearance, and ordered the state to produce him in court within seven days.