Lawyer arrested and freed by ISO, narrates ordeal

Patrick Mugisha, a city lawyer who was apprehended and unlawfully detained by operatives from Internal Security Organisation (ISO) has narrated what happened to him during the four days of detention at a safe house in Kyengera.

Mugisha who works for Mwesigwa, Mugisha and Co Advocates was held incommunicado in a safe house from July 31 to August 4.

In an interview with The Nile Post on Monday, Mugisha said during this time, ISO tried to coerce him to sign a memorandum of understanding with some of his clients which he declined.

He said he was not physically tortured but his rights were violated throughout the period of his unlawful detention.

“We ended up in Kyengera. So when I saw Kyengera, now I realised it is a safe house,” he said.

“All of the sudden they said by the way there is even your colleague here. They brought him out is called advocate James Muliira and I asked him how he came there.”

He noted that James Muliira told him that he had spent a week in detention however, both were all released on Sunday evening.

“They picked me up from workstation and start taking me to a place I never planned for and you cut off communication from my family, friends, clients, members of the public and everybody at large,” he said.

Mugisha did not exactly mention the main reason why he was detained, however, a source said it was due to transaction gone bad under which aggrieved client went to ISO to try to make Mugisha to make concessions.

“They wanted us to sign memorandum and undertakings to satisfy their demands, I told them that cannot happen,” he said.

Mugisha confirmed meeting ISO boss Col. Frank Kaka Bagyenda before his unconditional release.

The president Uganda law society Simon Peter Kinobe has raised concerns and warned the ISO against what he called unconstitutional practices.

“We have set up a consultative team to advice us in line with the victim on how to proceed and prosecute the said Bagyenda Kaka and his cronies for these constitutional violations, “he said.

Section 4(2) of the Security Organisation Act states that no officers or employee either ISO or ESO shall have power to arrest, detain or confine any person by virtual of only being an officer or employee of the organisation.