Presidential Advisory Committee on Export and Industrial Development (PACEID) Chairman Odrek Rwabwogo has said President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni did not order or have prior knowledge of the arrest of a PACEID staff member, Mathew Bagonza.
Rwabwogo said he has since engaged lawyers and security agencies to establish Bagonza’s whereabouts, ensure his safety and have him presented before a court of law if there are charges against him.
The PACEID chairman said he became concerned at about 10:30 p.m. after receiving information that Bagonza had been arrested while accompanying international visitors who had spent the week with PACEID.
He said he contacted several security agencies, including the Uganda Police Force, the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DISO) and the Special Forces Command (SFC), but was initially unable to establish where Bagonza had been taken.
“I drove to Entebbe and met the President. The President told me that he was not aware and had given no order for the arrest of this staff,” Rwabwogo said.
According to Rwabwogo, Museveni told him that he would seek information about the circumstances surrounding the arrest.
Rwabwogo Calls for Respect of the Constitution
Rwabwogo said the incident had reinforced the importance of respecting Uganda’s laws and constitutional guarantees, particularly the principle that suspects should be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
“I would have been surprised if he had done that, because the record of President Museveni over the last 40 years is there is no arbitrary arrest. There is due process,” he said.
He urged security agencies and other institutions to ensure that their actions remain within the framework of the Constitution, regardless of the circumstances.
“This Constitution was done meticulously, consultatively, young, old, social groups, so that we can have a new contract that the people of Uganda use to address difficult situations,” he said.
“So my advice is: let’s stick to the Constitution, even as hard as it is. Our behaviour needs to match what the law and the text says.”
Rwabwogo said institutions, whether large or small, must recognise the Constitution and the law as the common framework governing their conduct.
“Which, if we violate blatantly, it hurts all of us,” he said.
He compared respect for the law to discipline on a public road, saying that when some people disregard common rules, even those who follow them can be affected.
“If there is indiscipline on the road, even the disciplined ones can’t drive. They either stay home or they worry about accidents. The road becomes difficult,” he said.
He said the same principle applies to public affairs, arguing that everyone deserves equal treatment and dignity, including people whose views may differ from those in positions of authority.
“Whether it is PACEID staff or any other person, including the ones who hold differing opinions one doesn’t like, they deserve to be treated in equal manner with equal dignity,” Rwabwogo said.
He added that respecting the law was important not only for protecting individual rights but also for maintaining public confidence and safeguarding Uganda’s progress.
Rwabwogo Visits Bagonza’s Family
After initially failing to establish Bagonza’s whereabouts, Rwabwogo said he visited his family and met his mother, wife, son, siblings and other relatives.
He said he spent time with the family, prayed with them and assured them that efforts were underway to establish what had happened and ensure Bagonza was brought before the relevant authorities.
“My priority now in the last 12, 48 hours has been to work around the clock to help him out, find where he is and make sure that he is safe and returns in a good mode,” he said.
Rwabwogo also appealed to Bagonza’s friends and colleagues to keep him and his family in their prayers as efforts continued to establish the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
He said he had subsequently established that Bagonza was expected to be brought before court, prompting PACEID lawyers to prepare for possible charges and establish which court or police station would handle the matter.
“Our lawyers are here this morning to prepare for whatever the charges will be and to try and locate which court, which police station he may be brought to,” Rwabwogo said.
Rwabwogo Defends Staffer’s Record
Rwabwogo also spoke about his long association with Bagonza, saying the staffer joined him as a young man in 2010.
He recalled organising a week-long training programme at Makerere University for thousands of young people following unrest in Kayunga in 2009.
According to Rwabwogo, his assessment at the time suggested that unemployment and economic frustration were among the factors contributing to the unrest.
Bagonza was among the young people who participated in the programme and has worked with Rwabwogo since then.
“He’s been with me since then, and we know him as competent, honest, independent-minded,” Rwabwogo said.
He said PACEID staff were expected to observe professional standards in how they communicate, interact with people and uphold the integrity and dignity of those they encounter.
Rwabwogo said he was not aware of any conduct by Bagonza that would explain his arrest, but acknowledged that the facts would become clearer through the legal process.
“I don’t know anything really as a charge to get him into trouble, but we will find out,” he said.
He reiterated that PACEID’s immediate priorities were to establish Bagonza’s whereabouts, ensure his safety, provide legal support and allow any allegations against him to be addressed through the courts.
“We keep working to make sure that one of our own is released and presented to his family safe and sound,” Rwabwogo said.
Rwabwogo further stressed that any wrongdoing should be addressed through lawful procedures, saying accountability and respect for individual dignity should go hand in hand.
“Wrong should be dealt with certainly. If there is corruption or injustice, it should be dealt with. But the manner in which we do it should give confidence to investors, confidence to young people, and respect of the dignity of the person,” he said.
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