More Than 80 Days On, Family Still Searching for Missing Musician King Zale

More than 80 days after Kamwokya-based musician Christopher Gody, popularly known as King Zale, allegedly disappeared following his reported arrest by armed men.

More than 80 days after Kamwokya-based musician Christopher Gody, popularly known as King Zale, allegedly disappeared following his reported arrest by armed men, his family says it is living in anguish, with no information about whether he is alive or dead.

The family says Gody was allegedly picked up on April 21, 2026, near the Fire Base Crew offices in Kamwokya by armed men they believe were security operatives.

They claim some of the men were in Special Forces Command (SFC) and Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) uniforms, while others were in plain clothes.According to Lilian Nakiwala, who is leading the family’s search, about 10 armed men surrounded Gody, forced him into a waiting minivan, commonly referred to as a “drone,” and drove away.

Gody, a father and the family’s sole breadwinner, had withdrawn from active politics following the 2021 Kalangala campaign clashes involving supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and security forces.With the assistance of lawyer Jonathan Elotu, the family petitioned the High Court for a writ of habeas corpus seeking an order compelling security agencies to produce Gody, dead or alive.

On May 29, 2026, Justice Joyce Kavuma directed six government entities, including the Attorney General, the Special Forces Command, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces, the Uganda Police Force and the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), to produce him before court on June 5.However, the application was later dismissed after all the respondents denied having Gody in their custody.

Nakiwala said the court’s decision has left the family with no clear path forward. “We have not seen him or heard anything, and we have suspended the court process. What we need most is help to get King Zale released. He is the breadwinner of this family, and today we don’t know what to do next,” she said.She said the uncertainty surrounding her husband’s fate is more painful than knowing someone is in lawful detention.

Nakiwala noted that while some opposition supporters have previously been detained and later produced before court, her family has no information at all about Gody’s whereabouts.Gody’s mother, Joyce Aduba, said her son has been her main source of support since the government removed street vendors from Kampala’s streets. She appealed to the government to either release him or, if he is dead, allow the family to give him a dignified burial.

Family lawyer Jonathan Elotu said they are now seeking police intervention after the habeas corpus proceedings came to an end. He said although the security agencies denied holding Gody, the Uganda Police Force still has a legal responsibility to investigate missing persons.”Currently, we are trying to engage the police to do what they are supposed to do.

Even though the army and ISO denied having him in their custody, police still have the mandate to investigate the disappearance,” Elotu said. The family says it fears Gody’s case could mirror that of John Bosco Kibalama, another National Unity Platform supporter who disappeared in 2019 and whose whereabouts remain unknown.

Government officials have made differing statements about Kibalama’s fate over the years. In 2023, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja told Parliament he had been traced to a detention facility before later retracting the statement. The UPDF has since said Kibalama is alive and outside Uganda, but has not publicly provided evidence or disclosed his location.

Police have consistently advised families of missing persons to report such cases at the nearest police station to facilitate investigations. At the time of publication, there was no official confirmation from security agencies regarding Gody’s whereabouts beyond their earlier court submissions denying that he is in their custody.