By Leonard Kamugisha Akida and Stephen M Gonzaga,
NATIONAL
The Forum for Democratic Change stalwart and former Dr. Kizza Besigye right handman, Sam Mugumya has been reportedly set free from Democratic Republic of Congo jail after 8 years.
Mugumya was arrested inside DR Congo together with his other four accomplices in North Kivu in October 2014. They were reportedly accused of illegal entry into the neighbouring country and eventually transferred to the Congolese capital Kinshasa.
Lt Col Paddy Ankunda, then Uganda People’s Defence Force’s spokesperson announced Mugumya’s arrest in the media. Ankunda told reports that Mugumya had been arrested in company of four others with bags of money and documents linked to ADF rebel group in eastern DRC with intentions of overthrowing the Ugandan government.
The other four detainees include Stephen Mugisha, Aggrey Kamukama, Joseph Kamugisha and Nathan Bright.
Today, (Friday 21st October, 2022), the news of Mugumya’s release rocked internet after the Kampala Capital City Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura posted on her social media platforms congratulating him of persevering till his justice day.
“My mentor, friend and comrade Mugumya is finally free after 8 solid years of imprisonment in one of the worst military prisons in the World,” Nyanjura said
She added; “to all that have stood with him through these years, thanks for understanding the true doctrine of the struggle; We are each other’s keeper”.
Actual Arrest
Since 2014, Mugumya’s arrest has remained mysterious and sorrounded by controversies from government and the FDC top leadership. Although government reported that he was arrested for illegally accessing DRC through a porous border, the FDC alleged that Mugumya was kidnapped from his Rukungiri home with an intention of criminalizing him and the FDC party.
The alleged arrest came at the time when the country security services were hunting down FDC top shots over suspected involvement in subversive activities.
Government argued that Mugumya and four others used a porous border in western Uganda as security services pursued him relentlessly.
This was the same time Kihehere, an FDC strategist also disappeared via Kenya before relocating to Europe.
Reacting to the arrest, Dr. Besigye said Mugumya’s arrest was part of a bigger plot to frame him ahead of the 2016 general elections.
“He has been a subject of persistent and intense persecution from the Ugandan regime,” Besigye said about Mugumya in 2014.
“He has been arrested, tortured and detained for several times. It is highly possible that Mugumya was kidnapped from his home area in a fresh attempt by the regime to create a rebel group and criminalise us with it.” Besigye explained
Mugumya Disheartening Letter
In 2017, Mugumya while in prison authored a letter to the Congolese Justice Minister asking to be killed so he could “forever be free.”
The folloeing year (2018), Mugumya and his colleagues said despite being “held for close to four years now,” they had “never been formally informed of the reason that keeps us behind bars or prosecuted.”
The detainees said their attempts to get information pertaining to their case always hit a dead end.
“We even tried to get information from our government to no avail. First our government referred our relatives to the Congolese embassy in Uganda but the embassy refused to give information concerning our detention,” they added.
“We are constrained to note that what has happened to us is a great travesty of Justice for justice delayed is justice denied,” they added.
What awaits of Mugumya?
Details of Mugumya’s release remain confidential from the media and it’s not yet clear if he will return to home and what awaits of him is still unpredictable.
