Court Cases Impeding UHRC Probes into Missing Persons, Says Wangadya

The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has revealed that active court proceedings are hampering its ongoing inquiries into missing persons and political activists across the country. Speaking in Entebbe, UHRC Chairperson Mariam Wangadya explained that while the commission is committed to addressing these critical cases, constitutional restrictions force them to halt their work whenever a related matter is taken to a court of law.

According to Article 53(4) of the Constitution, the commission is legally barred from investigating any matter currently pending before a judicial tribunal or court. Wangadya pointed to the specific case of political activist Sam Mugumya, where a family-filed habeas corpus application compelled the commission to temporarily step back from its independent inquiries. Despite these legal pauses, she emphasized that the commission still views the missing persons issue as a matter of national importance and continues to monitor developments closely.

The remarks were made during the opening of a three-day review assessing the commission’s first-quarter performance and strategic objectives for the 2026/2027 financial year. Wangadya stressed the need to focus not just on the number of complaints received, but on the tangible outcomes, effective remedies provided to complainants, and long-term systemic improvements.

Alongside legal hurdles, the commission addressed significant financial constraints impacting its nationwide operations. UHRC Secretary Kamadi Byonabye and planner Charles Mukasa noted that the agency is pushing for an additional Shs13 billion on top of the Shs33 billion received in the previous financial year. This extra funding is deemed vital to fulfill constitutional mandates, conduct thorough investigations, run countrywide tribunal hearings, and establish three new regional offices over the current five-year strategic plan.

Read more details in the Daily Monitor.