Mugumya Sam, is an outstanding Ugandan youth leader, a known law-abiding citizen whose participation and contribution towards the struggle for a demonstrably democratic society in Uganda needs no elaboration. His sacrifice, intellectual capacities, leadership abilities and service to the FDC, to the youth and the country at large are evident in the growing youth movement whose leadership and ranks he has been part of for more than a decade. Given his resilience, Spartan discipline and fortitude in the midst of the ceaseless persecution and the malicious prosecution he has suffered at the hands of the regime, Mugumya has remained the embodiment of valour, rectitude and service above self that he has always been. Mugumya has constantly been politically targeted with various trumped-up charges in various courts of Uganda including treason charges but in all these, he has never been found guilty, instead, cases against him are always dismissed by courts before he is even asked to defend himself.

It is against this background that we the youth from the FDC Youth League, various political parties, civil society organisations and institutions of higher learning, peace-loving Ugandans et al felt it imperative that we submit this petition to your esteemed Offices in pursuit of the prayers sought in the foregoing.

The news of Mugumya’s arrest and detention was first broken by Lt. Col Paddy Ankunda the Army and Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) Spokesman, who in a televised address, announced Mugumya’s capture by the UPDF, allegedly for his complicity in subversive activities against the incumbent Government of Uganda, details of which he did not provide. In that statement, he categorically stated that “Mugumya’s days are finally over,”.

Days later, Lt. Col. Ankunda changed his narrative and stated that the UPDF was not in possession of Mugumya and was instead waiting for him to be extradited to Uganda by the Congolese authorities. This is disturbing to say the least.

The laeter, the Director of the Government Media Centre, Mr. Ofwono Opondo uploaded an exclusive image of a bare-chested Mugumya, purportedly under detention in the DRC. The said photo does not prove, by any stretch of the imagination, that Mugumya is in the DRC. It only raises more questions than answers.

We are left wondering since when announcing the arrest and/or detention of a citizen in another country became the prerogative of the UPDF/ARMY and why the Ministry of Foreign Affairs which is the line Ministry, conspicuously silent about this matter?

Where is Maj. James Kinobe, the Ugandan ambassador to Kinshasa in all this? What steps has His Excellency Kinobe taken to remedy this situation?

We then heard from press reports that a one Brig. Muhindo Akili, Commander of the North Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has confirmed detention of Mugumya Sam and “imminent transfer to the capital Kinshasa where he (Mugumya) might be held for a month pending investigations!”, facing charges of illegal entry.

We demand from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence of Uganda to furnish Ugandans with a comprehensive statement about the circumstances surrounding his purported arrest and detention in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;

That the Ministries of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Defence of Uganda appraise the Ugandans about the municipal and international legal matters arising out of Mugumya’s purported detention by the authorities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and how they respectively plan to resolve the same.