KAMPALA. Lawyers of People’s Front for Freedom (PFF) have filed an application of habeas corpus in the High Court of Kampala seeking the unconditional release of party member and political activist Sam Mugumya .
Mugumya, who is contesting for Rukungiri Municipality parliamentary seat on PFF ticket was arrested on Monday, August 26, 2025 while in Mbarara and is being reportedly held at a military detention facility in Mbuya, Kampala.
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.
“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. If successful, the court order would compel the state to produce Mugumya in court and justify his detention.
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 former aide of incarcerated veteran politician Dr Kiiza Besigye, spent eight years in detention in Ndolo Prison in Democratic Republic of Congo before his release in 2022.