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Exiled Ugandan writer and lawyer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has claimed that poet and political activist Sam Mugumya has been abducted and tortured by security agents after allegedly refusing to testify against opposition leader Dr. Kizza Besigye.
In a statement posted on X, Kakwenza alleged that Mugumya was approached by security operatives and asked to provide testimony linking Besigye to rebel activities in the ongoing treason case.
According to Kakwenza, the deal would have secured Mugumya’s freedom in exchange for false evidence — an offer he says Mugumya rejected “courageously.”
“I have just been informed by reliable sources that our comrade, Sam Mugumya, was asked to testify in court against Dr. KIzza Besigye in the ongoing treason case, in exchange for his freedom — an offer he courageously rejected,” Kakwenza wrote.
He further claimed that Mugumya was subsequently tortured and is now being detained at Mbuya Military Barracks in Kampala.
Mugumya, a long-time ally of Dr. Besigye and member of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), was imprisoned for eight years in the Democratic Republic of Congo after being accused of engaging in rebel activities.
He was released in 2020 and had been living in exile before recently returning to Uganda.
Human rights activists have previously raised concerns about the government’s use of abductions and military detentions against political opponents and activists.
Ugandan authorities have not issued any statement on Kakwenza’s claims. Attempts to independently verify Mugumya’s whereabouts have so far been unsuccessful.
Dr. Besigye, a four-time presidential candidate and former ally-turned-critic of President Yoweri Museveni, is currently facing a treason case over allegations of attempting to overthrow the government.