The High Court Civil Division has set November 9th, 2026, as the deadline for the Attorney General to file a report on the whereabouts of political activist Sam Mugumya.
According to Counsel Kato Tumusiime, the Attorney General is expected to respond following the habeas corpus application filed over Mugumya’s alleged disappearance.
“Mugumya’s family and legal team have been unable to establish where he is being held since his alleged arrest, prompting us to seek court intervention to compel the state to produce him in court for prosecution to continue,” Tumusiime said.
He added that in a habeas corpus application, the court orders authorities holding a person to bring that person before the court and justify the legality of their detention.
During the hearing on Monday, October 26th, 2026, at the High Court in Kampala, the presiding judge, Justice Simon Peter Kinobe, directed the Attorney General, listed as the respondent in his capacity as the government’s chief legal representative, to return with the status and location of Mugumya.
Tumusiime added that the order requires the Attorney General to disclose whether Mugumya is in lawful custody and, if so, at which facility and on what charges, or otherwise account for his whereabouts.
Mugumya, a former aide to former presidential candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye, has previously been at the center of politically charged cases. His latest case comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over reports of enforced disappearances and prolonged detention without trial.
The court said if the Attorney General fails to comply with the deadline, it will consider further orders, including summoning the responsible officers to explain the failure.
The matter will return to court on November 9th, for the Attorney General’s report and for further directions on whether Mugumya should be produced in court.
