ULS Seeks UN Intervention Over Missing Activist Sam Mugumya

What the report says

The Uganda Law Society says it will turn to United Nations special procedures to press for answers over the disappearance of opposition activist Sam Mugumya, after unverified video clips circulated online and renewed public attention on his case. Nile Post reported that the footage has not been independently authenticated and that authorities had not publicly confirmed whether the person shown is Mugumya or whether the setting is a military detention site.

According to the report, the clips include one that appears to show former Butambala County MP Muwanga Kivumbi after he was granted bail, and another that appears to show Mugumya in a room where he seems to have difficulty walking. The newspaper said the material’s date, location and source remain unclear.

ULS said in a Wednesday statement that it has been following developments around Mugumya’s case and the efforts by his lawyers to trace him, including applications for habeas corpus. The society said those steps have so far not produced results and that it would now seek international scrutiny as a complementary accountability measure.

Mugumya, a member of the People’s Front for Freedom and a former aide to Dr. Kizza Besigye, was reported missing on August 26, 2025, after alleged abduction by armed men in Mbarara, according to the article. His family and supporters have accused security operatives of holding him, while security agencies have denied this. The case has become a wider test of due process and enforced-disappearance concerns in Uganda.