Family identifies missing musician King Zale in leaked ‘basement’ video

What the report says

The family of missing Ugandan musician Christopher Gody, known as King Zale, says it has identified him in video clips released by former intelligence officer Lt Herbert Matanda Mabonga and is again asking authorities to either release him or produce him in court. The Observer reported that the family believes Zale appears near the end of one of the videos, which Mabonga said were recorded inside a military safe house in Abayita Ababiri, Entebbe.

According to the article, Zale was allegedly abducted on April 21, 2026, near the Firebase Crew offices in Kamwokya, Kampala, by armed men whom his family and friends suspect were security operatives. His wife, Lilian Nakiwala, said some of the men were in SFC and UPDF uniforms, while others wore civilian clothes. The family says it has searched multiple detention facilities but has not received any information about where he is or whether he faces charges.

The report says the family previously asked the High Court for a habeas corpus order, but the application was dismissed after the Attorney General, SFC, UPDF, police and ISO denied holding him. Zale’s disappearance has left the family under financial and emotional strain, Nakiwala said, because he had been the main provider and helped cover his mother’s medical costs.

The case comes amid wider concerns in Uganda over alleged enforced disappearances and secret detention. The article notes that the army has distanced itself from Mabonga, who has accused the security services of abuses, and that police typically advise families to report missing-person cases formally. As of publication, no security agency had publicly confirmed Zale’s whereabouts.