Sam Mugumya, a Ugandan opposition activist and former aide to Dr. Kizza Besigye, was reportedly arrested on August 26, 2025, in Mbarara City, Uganda, by military and plain-clothed personnel while having breakfast at a hotel.
Opposition figures and his lawyers allege he was taken to a military detention facility in Mbuya, Kampala (under the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence or Directorate of Intelligence and Security).
His legal team filed a habeas corpus application, and in September 2025, the High Court ordered the UPDF to produce him.
However, the UPDF denied holding him, stating in court affidavits that extensive searches of detention facilities found no record of him, and they do not know his whereabouts.
As of the latest available reports (up to late 2025), his location remains unknown.
Opposition leaders, including Bobi Wine, have described it as an abduction or enforced disappearance, amid concerns over political intimidation ahead of elections.
As of the current date (December 15, 2025), that is 111 days (or approximately 3 months and 19 days).
Despite court orders (including a habeas corpus application), investigations, and denials from the UPDF and police that they are holding him, his whereabouts remain unknown, with no confirmed updates on his release or location.
Mugumya was previously detained in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 2014 to 2022 (released in October 2022) on allegations related to rebellion, but the 2025 incident is separate and occurred after his return to Uganda.
