Political analyst Daniel Tumwine has criticised Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) chairman Odrek Rwabwogo over his response to the detention of senior committee official Matthew Bagonza.
Tumwine questioned Rwabwogo’s apparent focus on due process following Bagonza’s arrest, arguing that similar concerns over alleged abductions and injustice have existed in Uganda long before the latest dispute involving members of the First Family.
“Reading this, one would think abductions started yesterday,” Tumwine said in a pointed response to Rwabwogo’s statement.
Bagonza, who heads the PACEID secretariat and has worked closely with Rwabwogo, was reportedly picked up from his home in Entebbe on Tuesday. His arrest was initially shrouded in uncertainty, with reports indicating that neither the security agency involved nor the specific allegations against him had been publicly disclosed.
Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba later confirmed Bagonza’s detention by sharing his photograph on social media. His posts about the detained official, including remarks about punishment, triggered further controversy surrounding the circumstances of the arrest.
Rwabwogo subsequently called for Bagonza’s case to be handled by a competent court, insisting that any arrest and treatment of a presumed offender should be lawful, humane and respectful of the Constitution.
He also maintained that PACEID remains a lawful and operational institution established in 2022, rejecting Muhoozi’s declaration that the committee is illegal. Rwabwogo said any change to PACEID’s mandate would have to follow due process rather than be announced through social media.
Tumwine, however, argued that the moment presented Rwabwogo and the Bishop with an opportunity to take a broader position against impunity and injustice, rather than speaking out only when people close to them are affected.
“And that one must only speak out when those we know are affected,” Tumwine said, describing the situation as “a missed opportunity” for Rwabwogo and the Bishop to condemn injustice more broadly.
His remarks add another dimension to the growing public debate surrounding Bagonza’s detention and the escalating confrontation between Muhoozi and Rwabwogo.
The dispute has also raised questions about the relationship between political influence, security agencies and due process in Uganda, particularly as competing claims emerge over who authorised Bagonza’s arrest. Rwabwogo has said President Yoweri Museveni told him he was unaware of the arrest and had not ordered it.