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Sam Mugumya, a former aide to Dr. Kiiza Besigye, has entered the race to represent Rukungiri Municipality in Parliament.
Mugumya, a member of the People's Front for Freedom (PFF), must first defeat his fellow party members Ingrid Turinawe and Roland Mugume Kaginda.
Kaginda is the former Member of Parliament for Rukungiri Municipality, while Turinawe has contested the Rukungiri District Women's Constituency parliamentary seat twice, in 2006 and 2011, but lost both times.
The winner of this internal PFF contest will face security minister Lt. Gen. Henry Tumukunde, who was declared the winner of the NRM primaries for Rukungiri Municipality Member of Parliament. Tumukunde triumphed with 4,517 votes, or 45.6%, defeating the incumbent MP Dr. Elisa Rutahirwa, who garnered 2,843 votes (28.7%).
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Sam Mugumya, released from military detention in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2022, has received endorsements from prominent opposition figures, including his former boss's wife, Winnie Byanyima.
Byanyima posted on X: "As a resident of Rukungiri Municipality, I wholeheartedly endorse Sam Mugumya. He is tested. Sam is a fearless defender of human rights and a champion of justice and democracy. Sam will be an effective representative of Rukungiri Mun."
Mugumya spent over eight years in detention. He was arrested on October 21, 2014, for alleged illegal entry into the DRC.
At the time, former Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa said that the DRC government had claimed Mugumya entered the country to plot rebellion against Uganda.
Mugumya allegedly admitted that his entry, under pseudonyms, was intended to oppose a "brotherly" government.
Mugumya was reportedly arrested with four other Ugandans, although the identities of the others have never been revealed.
In November 2016, International Relations Minister Henry Okello Oryem informed Parliament that the DRC government continued to hold Mugumya as per the Ngurdoto agreement on bilateral cooperation between Uganda and the DRC.
The 2007 agreement stipulated that both countries would not support subversive activities in each other's territories.
Despite Uganda's request for Mugumya's extradition, DRC authorities reportedly declined, citing the lack of an extradition treaty.
FDC party members made multiple attempts to secure Mugumya's release, but these were unsuccessful.
When the DRC joined the East African Community, human rights lawyer Adam Kyomuhendo sought a declaration from the East African Court of Justice to block the DRC's admission due to its violation of Ugandans' rights, including Mugumya's detention without trial.
Who is Sam Mugumya?
Sam Mugumya first came to prominence in the early 2000s. Alongside current Bukhwejju MP Francis Mwijukye, he was known for his support of former FDC President Dr Kiiza Besigye during demonstrations.
The 43-year-old Mugumya began his political activism as a political science student at Makerere University and later served as the Secretary General of the FDC Youth League.
He became Dr Besigye's personal assistant and was a key member of the Activists for Change lobby group formed in 2011.
Mugumya played a prominent role in the "Walk to Work" campaign, where he was often seen protecting Dr. Besigye from security and police violence.
Mugumya describes himself as "easy-going, fun-loving, but a hardened crusader for justice and freedom."
He strongly believes in revolutions, citing Dr Kiiza Besigye and Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara as his greatest idols.