The Uganda Police Force has denied holding opposition activist Sam Mugumya, joining the military in distancing itself from the circumstances surrounding his mysterious disappearance.
Responding to questions about Mugumya’s whereabouts, police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke stated that, to his knowledge, the activist is not in their custody.
“I am the spokesperson of the Uganda Police Force, but I haven’t received any briefing regarding the arrest of Sam Mugumya,” Rusoke said.
Mugumya, a former personal assistant to veteran opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, has been missing for over two weeks under unclear circumstances. He was reportedly arrested by military operatives in Mbarara on August 26.
Eyewitness accounts suggest Mugumya was apprehended while having breakfast at NIM Hotel in Nyamitanga, Mbarara. According to reports, he was taken by military personnel—some in uniform, others in plain clothes—who arrived in a drone vehicle.
His arrest was later confirmed by Winnie Byanyima, wife of detained opposition leader Dr. Besigye.
“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.
Earlier in August, Mugumya had announced his intention to contest for the Rukungiri Municipality parliamentary seat under the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) ticket. He is expected to face stiff competition, including from former presidential candidate Gen. Henry Tumukunde.
Mugumya is staging a political comeback following his release in 2022 from an eight-year detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He has positioned himself as a strong advocate for justice and democracy.
His 2014 arrest in the DRC, on allegations of illegally entering the country, drew regional attention. At the time, Uganda’s then-Foreign Affairs Minister, Sam Kutesa, claimed Mugumya had traveled to the DRC to “pronounce rebellion” against the Ugandan government, allegedly using false identities with the intention of launching a war against a “brotherly government.”
Despite pressure from the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Ugandan authorities, the DRC refused to extradite him, citing the absence of an extradition treaty. Mugumya was detained along with four other Ugandans—though the identities of three of them were never made public.
In 2016, then-Minister of International Relations Henry Okello Oryem told Parliament that Mugumya was being held under the terms of the 2007 Ngurdoto Agreement, a bilateral accord between Uganda and the DRC prohibiting support for subversive activities across each other’s borders.
Multiple legal and political efforts were made to secure Mugumya’s release. FDC leaders persistently advocated for him, and human rights lawyer Adam Kyomuhendo even petitioned the East African Court of Justice to block the DRC’s admission into the East African Community (EAC), arguing that Mugumya’s prolonged detention without trial constituted a human rights violation.
Mugumya rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a political activist closely aligned with Dr. Besigye. Alongside current Buhweju MP Francis Mwijukye, he was active in FDC demonstrations and grassroots mobilization.
A graduate of Makerere University with a degree in political science, Mugumya served as Secretary General of the FDC Youth League before becoming Besigye’s personal assistant. He was also a prominent figure in the Activists for Change (A4C) pressure group and a key organizer of the 2011 “Walk to Work” protests, often seen shielding Besigye during security crackdowns.
Now back in Uganda’s political arena, Mugumya’s candidacy is expected to energize progressive and youth voters in Rukungiri Municipality, especially those drawn to a candidate with a long-standing record of activism and resilience
