In a startling and unprecedented public declaration, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, has confirmed that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) is holding missing political analyst Sam Mugumya, adding a chilling threat to execute him.
Mugumya, a former aide to veteran opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye, has been missing since August 26, 2025, when he was reportedly abducted by plainclothes armed men at a hotel in Nyamitanga, Mbarara.
Taking to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Gen Muhoozi explicitly acknowledged custody of the activist while dismissing concerns about his physical condition.
“People are feeling sorry for Mugumya’s legs? Yes, I have Sam Mugumya. He is fine. But I will execute him soon,” Gen Muhoozi posted.
The CDF’s admission completely shatters over a year of official denials. Prior to this post, multiple security agencies, including the UPDF, had firmly disputed claims that Mugumya was in military custody.
Gen Muhoozi’s statements appear to have been triggered by the recent circulation of a disturbing video on social media. The footage purportedly shows Mugumya in a visibly frail condition, struggling and limping as he attempts to walk. The video ignited widespread public outrage and renewed desperate calls for authorities to clarify his whereabouts and medical condition.
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Following his disappearance in August 2025, Mugumya’s family, alongside his legal team and political associates, launched a massive search. This culminated in September 2025 when the High Court in Kampala issued a writ of habeas corpus, directly ordering authorities to produce Mugumya before a competent court to establish the lawfulness of his alleged, and previously unacknowledged, detention.
The brazen nature of the CDF’s post has instantly escalated the situation from a domestic legal battle to an international human rights crisis.
Just days prior to Muhoozi’s tweet, on September 30, 2026, the Uganda Law Society (ULS) announced it would escalate the matter globally by engaging relevant United Nations special procedures regarding enforced and involuntary disappearances.
ULS Vice President Anthony Asiimwe clarified that this international intervention is designed to secure independent scrutiny of the case, complementing the ongoing, yet frustrated, efforts of Mugumya’s domestic legal counsel.
For over a year, Mugumya’s family has pleaded with the state to either release him or present him before a court of law if he has committed any crime. His mother, Edinansi Katungwesi, previously petitioned the ULS for assistance, spending months in agonizing silence regarding her son’s fate—a silence that has now been broken by a public threat of execution from the highest office in the military.
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