KAMPALA: Ugandan opposition politician Sam Mugumya, who is contesting for the Rukungiri Municipality parliamentary seat, has filed an application in the High Court seeking his immediate release from military detention, court papers show.
The application, lodged by his lawyers Kiiza & Mugisha Advocates, asks the court to issue a writ of habeas corpus against the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), the Directorate of Intelligence and Security, and the Attorney General of Uganda. Mugumya, an aspirant under the People’s Front for Freedom (PFF), was arrested on Monday, August 26, 2025 while in Mbarara and is being held at a military detention facility in Mbuya, Kampala, according to the filing.
“The Respondents’ detention of the Applicant in a military facility at Mbuya is illegal, arbitrary and an abuse of his fundamental human rights,” the application states, citing violations of his right to liberty, freedom of movement, and dignity.
The matter is scheduled to be heard on September 1, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. before the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala.
The application is supported by an affidavit from human rights lawyer Tumusiime Kakuru, who argues that Mugumya’s continued incommunicado detention is unconstitutional.
Mugumya, a close ally of former opposition leader Kizza Besigye, spent eight years in detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo before his release in 2022.
He is currently running for the Rukungiri Municipality seat, where his main rival is retired Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde, the ruling NRM candidate.
The habeas corpus suit highlights growing tensions ahead of Uganda’s 2026 general elections, with opposition parties accusing security agencies of intimidation and arbitrary arrests. Authorities have yet to comment on the case.
If successful, the court order would compel the state to produce Mugumya in court and justify his detention.
