Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) Head of Secretariat Matthew Bagonza is set to appear before court this afternoon, the Daily Star has learnt.
According to sources, Bagonza, a close aide to PACEID chairman Odrek Rwabwogo, is currently in Entebbe and is expected to be brought before court to face charges.
The circumstances surrounding his detention and the charges he is expected to face remain unclear.
Bagonza was reportedly picked up by security personnel from his home in Entebbe on August 25, amid a growing dispute surrounding PACEID and its leadership. The arrest was later confirmed publicly by Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, although the security agency holding him and the allegations against him were not initially disclosed.
His detention came shortly after Gen Muhoozi declared PACEID an “illegal organisation” and accused some of its officials of corruption. The claims have been rejected by Rwabwogo, who has defended the committee and its mandate.
Rwabwogo subsequently said he travelled to Entebbe to meet President Yoweri Museveni over Bagonza’s arrest and that the President told him he had neither ordered nor been aware of the detention. Rwabwogo also called for Bagonza to be taken before a competent court if there was a case against him.
Bagonza is a senior figure within PACEID. The committee’s official website identifies him as its Head of Secretariat and an executive member. He has also represented the committee at local and international trade engagements, particularly in efforts to promote Ugandan products and connect local businesses to foreign markets.
Bagonza has worked closely with Rwabwogo for years and has been described as one of his key aides. Rwabwogo has said Bagonza joined him in 2010 and described him as competent, honest and independent-minded.
PACEID was commissioned by President Museveni in March 2022 and operates under the Office of the President, with a mandate centred on expanding Uganda’s exports, developing value chains and linking Ugandan producers to international markets.
A group of lawyers and civil society figures had earlier called for Bagonza to either be released or produced before a competent court, arguing that his whereabouts and the allegations against him had not been officially disclosed.
If Bagonza is brought before court as expected, the charges filed against him could provide the first formal account of the allegations underlying his detention.
