AN AFFIDAVIT IN REPLY TO A HABEAS CORPUS APPLICATION FILED FOR SAM MUGUMYA IS NOT ACCOUNTABILITY: WHERE IS SAM MUGUMYA? The UPDF’s denial of custody of Sam Mugumya is not, by itself, an answer to the question of his whereabouts. Article 212(a) of the Constitution expressly mandates the Uganda Police Force to protect life and property. Article 209 of the Constitution further mandates the UPDF to preserve and defend Uganda’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to cooperate with civilian authorities in emergencies and disaster situations. More fundamentally, Articles 20(2), 23(9) and 44(d) require respect for human rights and make habeas corpus inviolable. Under Articles 6, 7 and 9 of the ICCPR, Uganda has obligations to protect life, prevent torture and arbitrary detention, and investigate credible allegations of enforced disappearance. Ugandans should therefore demand that Government account to Ugandans: What investigations have been undertaken to establish Sam Mugumya’s whereabouts? Which security agencies have been interrogated? What concrete efforts have been made to trace him? This is what political accountability entails! If the State neither holds him nor knows where he is, it must demonstrate that it has taken effective steps to find him. Otherwise Ugandans wouldn't be wrong to question the State's capacity to protect their lives and property A citizen’s disappearance cannot be answered with institutional denials alone. The Constitution of Uganda demands accountability, not evasion. Let the State bring Sam Mugumya before court, or establish transparently what happened to him. This is the most minimum response Ugandans expect from their government!