The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has denied holding opposition activist Sam Mugumya, in a response filed before the High Court in Kampala in a habeas corpus case.
Lt. Col. Edgar Musasizi, the Director of Civil Affairs at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, filed the return to the writ of habeas corpus on behalf of the Chief of Defence Forces and the Directorate of Defence Intelligence and Security.
“In obedience to the writ, I do satisfy and return that Sam Mugumya has not at any material time been in the custody of the respondents in this matter,” Lt. Col. Musasizi stated in court documents dated September 11, 2025.
He added that a comprehensive search had been conducted across all relevant detention facilities.
“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. We caused inquiries to be made in all detention facilities under the command of the 1st and 2nd respondents, and no officer in the different units under their command had knowledge of the said Sam Mugumya,” Musasizi explained.
The UPDF therefore concluded, “I confirm that the said Sam Mugumya is not within our custody, and we do not know about his whereabouts.”
The habeas corpus application was filed to compel security agencies to produce Mugumya, a well-known opposition figure with a history of run-ins with security forces.
Mugumya, a long-time political activist and former aide to opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, has previously faced arrests and detention over his activism. In 2014, he was arrested in the Democratic Republic of Congo and later repatriated to Uganda, where he spent years in military detention before being released in 2022.
His disappearance in late August 2025 raised concern among his political allies and human rights defenders, many of whom accuse security operatives of abducting opposition supporters.
The High Court is expected to make further directions on the matter as the search for Mugumya continues.
