Dr Kizza Besigye’s former aide and “blue-eyed boy” Sam Mugumya has revealed that his first time to stare in the face of death came through then-army commander Maj Gen James Kazini.
Mugumya, who was recently released following a close to a decade detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ndolo Prison, has launched a revelation series, narrating the harsh life he has lived for many years in the struggle.
In his latest revelations, Mugumya said that he has not had it easy with the regime for more than two decades now.
“The very first time I was arrested by the military was way back in 2002 when I was still a student at Makerere university. The then army commander Gen James Kazini promised to kill me, he detained me at the then Bombo army barracks quarter guard and told me that before I die, I would see a lot,” he narrated.
Mugumya states that he was rescued from Kazini’s hands by God and he survived what would have been a long baptism of fire.
“Since that baptism of fire, I have had numerous run-ins with the regime because of my unwavering commitment to the cause of freedom. Under this regime, the prison has become my second home,” he said.
Maj Gen Kazini, however, died two years before Mugumya met his next episode.
Mugumya says more trouble started for him in the aftermath of the walk-to-work protests in 2011 together with colleagues Ingrid Turinawe and Francis Mwijukye, now a member of parliament.
Mugumya and colleagues were accused of robbing a hawker of Shs10,000 and a mobile phone and further assaulting him, an allegation he has denied to date.
He said accusations continued to build up one after another, with one informer telling him he would be killed soon. It is the alert that convinced him to flee the country.
He chose to escape through Ishasha into Congo (DRC).
“When we crossed, we presented ourselves to the DRC authorities who instead of helping us, just called their Ugandan counterparts who interrogated us and arrested us.”
Mugumya maintains that he was not arrested in the bush, nor was he engaging in any rebel activities in the Ituri forest.
Sam Mugumya was arrested on October 21, 2014, for alleged illegal entry into the DRC. At the time, the former Foreign Affairs Minister, Sam Kutesa said that the DRC government had indicated that Mugumya had gone to DRC to pronounce rebellion against Uganda.
He alleged that Mugumya had willingly stated that the purpose of his entry and using pseudonyms, was because he was going to fight a brotherly government.
Mugumya was allegedly arrested with four other Ugandans. The names of the other three who were allegedly arrested with Sam Mugumya have never been made public.
In November 2016, International Relations Minister, Henry Okello Oryem told Parliament that the DRC government continued to hold Mugumya as outlined under the Ngurdoto agreement on bilateral cooperation between Uganda and DRC.
Under the agreement between Uganda and DRC in 2007, the two countries undertook not to harbour or support subversive activities in either territory.