The High Court in Kampala has ordered the Government of Uganda and top security officials to produce the body of Dr. Robert Luggya Kayingo, the president of the Uganda Federal Alliance (UFA), who has been missing for over two weeks following his alleged abduction at Entebbe International Airport.
Dr. Luggya, who has been living in exile due to political persecution, disappeared on Thursday, July 17, 2025 after arriving from South Africa aboard a Kenya Airways flight via Nairobi. According to relatives, he landed at Entebbe around midday but never made it out of the airport. Moments before vanishing, he reportedly sent distress messages indicating that security operatives were holding him.
Family Turns to the Courts
After unsuccessful attempts to locate him, Dr. Luggya’s family — led by his sister, Nakimuli Claire — petitioned the High Court Civil Division through a habeas corpus application, compelling the government to produce him dead or alive.
The application named several high-ranking officials as respondents, including:
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The Attorney General (SC Kiryowa Kiwanuka)
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Inspector General of Police (Abbas Byakagaba)
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Chief of Defence Forces (Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba)
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Director of Intelligence and Security (Maj. Gen. Richard Otto)
Court Issues Habeas Corpus Writ
In his ruling, Justice Acellam Collins ordered the immediate production of Dr. Luggya before the High Court, giving the state a deadline of August 8, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
“A writ of habeas corpus ad subjiciendum doth issue requiring The Attorney General of Uganda, The Inspector General of Police, The Chief of Defence Forces, UPDF, and The Directorate of Intelligence and Security to have the body of Robert Luggya Kayingo produced immediately before the High Court of Uganda, Kampala (Civil Division),” Justice Acellam ruled.
He emphasized that the writ must be returned no later than the set deadline.
Family and Lawyers Welcome the Ruling
Speaking after the court decision, Nakimuli Claire, who swore the supporting affidavit, urged those holding her brother to release him so he could return to his family and responsibilities.
Patrick Turinawe, one of the lawyers representing the family, also welcomed the ruling, calling on all security agencies to comply with the court’s directive.
Part of a Wider Pattern of Disappearances
Dr. Luggya’s disappearance adds to a growing list of missing political opponents under the nearly 40-year rule of President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
Numerous opposition figures — particularly from the National Unity Platform (NUP) — remain in detention, some without trial, others facing what critics describe as trumped-up charges. This trend follows the Supreme Court ruling declaring the trial of civilians in the General Court Martial illegal, a decision that has not stopped security agencies from targeting political opponents.
Among other notable cases are Dr. Kizza Besigye and his aide Hajji Obeid Lutale Kamulegeya, who were abducted in Kenya and transported back to Uganda to face treason-related charges.
With the court now formally demanding accountability in Dr. Luggya’s case, the coming days will test whether the state will comply with judicial orders or deepen concerns over enforced disappearances in Uganda’s political landscape.
