The Uganda Law Society (ULS) has resolved to engage United Nations special procedures on enforced and involuntary disappearances over the continued disappearance of political analyst and former aide to opposition figure Kizza Besigye, Sam Mugumya.
In a statement titled “Where is Sam Mugumya?”, released on September 30, 2026, ULS said it would seek international scrutiny of the case after efforts to establish Mugumya’s whereabouts and secure his constitutional rights had so far yielded no results.
The move follows the circulation of video footage showing a man alleged to be Mugumya appearing in a frail condition and struggling to walk, raising renewed public concern about his welfare and whereabouts.
Anthony Asiimwe, the ULS Vice President, said the Society had resolved to pursue the UN mechanism as a complementary avenue for accountability and protection.
“The Society has resolved to engage the relevant United Nations special procedures on enforced and involuntary disappearances as a complementary avenue for accountability and protection,” Asiimwe said in the statement.
ULS said the move is intended to reinforce the work of Mugumya’s lawyers and ensure that his case receives independent international scrutiny in line with Uganda’s treaty obligations.
Mugumya disappeared on August 26, 2025, after reportedly being taken from a hotel in Nyamitanga, Mbarara, by armed men in plain clothes.
According to eyewitness accounts cited in the case, the men reportedly bundled him into an unmarked vehicle commonly referred to as a “drone” and drove away.
Since then, his whereabouts have remained unknown, with his lawyers pursuing legal avenues to establish his location and secure his release or access to him.
ULS said applications for a writ of habeas corpus filed by Mugumya’s lawyers have so far failed to secure an effective remedy.
The Society also expressed concern that Parliament has not been able to compel the government to fully account for Mugumya’s whereabouts and restore what it described as his constitutional rights.
UL avenues to establish Mugumya’s location, condition and legal status, saying the rule of law requires clarity on the fate of a person whose whereabouts have remained unknown for more thanS invoked Articles 23 and 44 of the Constitution, which protect personal liberty and identify certain rights as non-derogable, including protections relating to personal liberty.
The Society said the developments demonstrate the need for additional avenues of accountability beyond the domestic legal process.
“This step is taken to reinforce, rather than replace, the work of counsel of record and to ensure that the case receives independent international scrutiny consistent with Uganda’s treaty obligations,” Asiimwe said.
ULS said it will continue pursuing lawful avenues to establish Mugumya’s location, condition and legal status, saying the rule of law requires clarity on the fate of a person whose whereabouts have remained unknown for more than a year.
