Security agencies have arrested Matthew Bagonza, a long-serving personal assistant to Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) chairman Odrek Rwabwogo, as Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba moves against members of the committee.
Bagonza was reportedly notified on Monday night that he would be arrested and he informed most of his close friends before armed men believed to be attached to the Joint Anti-Terrorism Task Force (JATT) and the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) picked him up in the early hours of Tuesday from his Entebbe residence.
His alleged crimes remain unknown, while his current whereabouts have also not been established.
Bagonza has worked closely with Rwabwogo for a long period of time and is understood to be one of the individuals who have been closely associated with the PACEID chairman.
His arrest comes shortly after Gen Muhoozi declared PACEID an illegal organisation and threatened to arrest its members whom he accused of corruption.
“PACEID is an illegal organisation. We shall start arresting its members immediately,” Muhoozi said.
The Army chief later appeared to confirm that at least one person had already been arrested, saying: “We are going to arrest ALL the members of PACEID involved in corruption.”
Although Muhoozi did not initially identify the person arrested, information emerging on Tuesday indicates that he was referring to Bagonza.
Muhoozi subsequently continued posting about the matter on X, saying President Yoweri Museveni had sanctioned an operation to arrest members of what he described as a “criminal outfit” operating under PACEID.
The developments have put Rwabwogo and the committee under intense scrutiny, particularly because PACEID was established by President Museveni in March 2022 under the Office of the President.
The committee was created to advise government on export promotion and industrial development and has since undertaken initiatives aimed at boosting Uganda’s exports and attracting investment.
Rwabwogo, who is also President Museveni’s son-in-law, has been the public face of the committee and has worked closely with various government agencies and private-sector players.
However, the circumstances surrounding Bagonza’s arrest remain unclear. No specific offence has publicly been attributed to him, and there has been no immediate official statement detailing the allegations against him or confirming where he is being held.
It is also unclear whether Bagonza has been formally charged or whether other PACEID officials are being targeted in the operation announced by Muhoozi.
The arrest nevertheless marks a significant escalation, coming after the CDF publicly declared the committee illegal and vowed to pursue members allegedly involved in corruption.
More details are expected as authorities clarify the circumstances surrounding Bagonza’s arrest and the wider operation against PACEID.
