Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) chairman Odrek Rwabwogo says President Yoweri Museveni told him he was not aware of the arrest of senior PACEID official Matthew Bagonza and did not order his detention.
Rwabwogo said he rushed to Entebbe to meet the President after Bagonza, head of the PACEID secretariat, was picked up by security personnel.
He said he contacted several security agencies, including Police, Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), and the Special Forces Command (SFC), but could not immediately establish where Bagonza had been taken.
According to Rwabwogo, Museveni told him he had not authorised the arrest and would investigate the circumstances surrounding it.
The claim comes amid a public disagreement with Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who recently said security agencies had begun arresting people within PACEID over alleged wrongdoing.
“We have started arresting the criminals in PACEID. Mzee has told me to get all of them,” Muhoozi said.
Gen Muhoozi later confirmed that Bagonza was in custody and issued a stern warning to Rwabwogo after he allegedly contacted security officers seeking information about the arrest.
“The next time Odrek dares to call any security officer without my approval he will be arrested,” Muhoozi warned.
The circumstances surrounding Bagonza’s arrest, including the agency holding him and the allegations against him, remain unclear.
The developments have sparked debate over the authority of security agencies and the relationship between PACEID, the presidency and the military.
