KAMPALA — Parliament has given the government two weeks to explain the whereabouts of opposition activist Sam Mugumya and others allegedly held incommunicado.
The directive followed a fresh appeal by Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi during Thursday’s plenary sitting for government to account for people whose cases have repeatedly been brought before the House.
Mr Ssenyonyi raised particular concern over Mr Mugumya following the circulation of video footage purportedly showing the missing activist in a weakened condition.
The footage has not been independently verified. It is also unclear when or where it was recorded.
Mr Mugumya, a former aide to opposition politician Dr Kizza Besigye and a mobiliser of the People’s Front for Freedom, reportedly disappeared on August 26, 2025.
He was allegedly picked up while having breakfast at NIM Hotel in Nyamitanga, Mbarara City. Witnesses said armed men bundled him into an unmarked vehicle and drove away.
His lawyers later sought a writ of habeas corpus, asking the High Court to require authorities to produce him or account for his detention.
The UPDF has denied holding Mr Mugumya. In court proceedings, the military said searches of its detention facilities and records had found no information showing that he was in its custody.
The case resurfaced this week after new video clips circulated online.
One clip appears to show a man opposition figures identify as Mr Mugumya walking with considerable difficulty. Another video has been linked to former UPDF officer Lt Herbert Matanda Mabonga, who has made allegations concerning military detention facilities and the treatment of opposition supporters.
The location and date of the recordings have not been independently established, and the allegations contained in the videos remain unverified.
Mr Ssenyonyi told Parliament that Mr Mugumya was among several people whose cases required government clarification.
Other names raised include Christopher Godi, also known as King Zale or Kim Zero, William Walisa and parliamentary journalist Eria Jjengo.
Government Chief Whip Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said the government had already received a list of people alleged to have been held incommunicado.
She told MPs that the names had been forwarded to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for investigation and that government would return with a response.
The issue had been raised in Parliament earlier this week. On September 29, Dr Aceng told MPs that the Ministry of Internal Affairs had requested the Opposition to provide the names of people it believed were being held without being produced before court.
Speaker Jacob Markson Oboth directed government to treat the matter seriously and report back within two weeks.
He also indicated that Parliament would consider a wider debate on human rights after receiving the government’s response.
Mr Ssenyonyi welcomed the deadline but expressed concern that additional people could be taken into custody before government returns to Parliament.
The Uganda Law Society has meanwhile escalated Mr Mugumya’s case beyond the domestic process.
On September 30, the society said it would engage United Nations special procedures dealing with enforced and involuntary disappearances.
ULS Vice President Anthony Asiimwe said the move was intended to provide an additional avenue for accountability and international scrutiny while Mr Mugumya’s lawyers continue pursuing the case in Uganda.
The society’s intervention followed fresh public concern over the video footage and continued uncertainty over Mr Mugumya’s whereabouts.
His mother, Edinansi Katungwesi, had earlier petitioned the Uganda Law Society seeking assistance in finding her son. She said she had not seen him since his reported disappearance and that the recent footage gave her hope that he was still alive.
Mr Mugumya had previously spent more than eight years in detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo after his arrest in 2014 over allegations connected to rebel activities. He was released in October 2022 without being formally tried, according to reports.
The latest developments have placed Mr Mugumya’s case back at the centre of parliamentary scrutiny, alongside other allegations of people being detained without being produced before court.
For now, the government is expected to investigate the names submitted by the Opposition and provide Parliament with a case-by-case response within two weeks.
The whereabouts and current condition of Mr Mugumya remain unresolved publicly, while authorities have not confirmed the authenticity or circumstances of the latest footage.
