Ten days later: Questions remain over Muwanga Kivumbi’s whereabouts

Updated by HICGI News Agency at 1147 EAT on Tuesday 21 July 2026

Ten days after his dramatic re-arrest moments after securing bail, security agencies have not disclosed the whereabouts of former Butambala MP Muwanga Kivumbi.

Kivumbi was intercepted near Mpigi Police Station while travelling to Kampala on July 11, a day after the International Crimes Division (ICD) of the High Court granted him bail.

Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke said any security agency holding Kivumbi would present him before court at the appropriate time.

Rusoke declined to provide details on allegations of unlawful arrests and incommunicado detention, and also avoided commenting on previous incidents, including the arrest of former Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, citing ongoing court proceedings.

While police have not admitted to holding Kivumbi, video footage of the incident shows uniformed officers and plain-clothed operatives stopping his vehicle before he was taken away in a Toyota Hiace van, popularly known as a “drone”.

The continued lack of information about Kivumbi’s whereabouts has raised concerns among his family, supporters and human rights advocates over his detention.

The footage shows four police officers in khaki uniform and two traffic officers at the scene. A police patrol vehicle is seen blocking Kivumbi’s car, while the Toyota Hiace van waits a short distance away. The video also appears to show a masked police officer coordinating the operation.

The officer, later identified as Mpigi District Police Commander (DPC) Robert Kuzzala, is seen speaking on a phone or radio before directing plain-clothed operatives to remove Kivumbi from his vehicle, just metres from Mpigi Police Station.

One of Kivumbi’s lawyers, Samuel Muyizi, said the legal team filed a habeas corpus application before the International Crimes Division (ICD) of the High Court last week, seeking an order for his immediate production before court.

On Friday, the court granted the Attorney General additional time to file a response, and the matter was adjourned to Tuesday, July 21, 2026.

Muyizi said the application names Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abbas Byakagaba and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba as respondents, asking the court to compel them to produce Kivumbi “alive or dead”.

He said the application was filed after lawyers spent several days searching police stations in Mpigi and Kampala for Kivumbi without success.

On Monday, National Unity Platform (NUP) leaders, including acting party president John Baptist Nambeshe and Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi, joined supporters at the home of the party’s deputy secretary general and former Butambala Woman MP Aisha Kabanda for duwa prayers for Kivumbi, who has not been seen publicly since his arrest on July 10.

Kivumbi was first arrested on January 22, 2026, over allegations of violence following the January 15 general elections.

According to the prosecution, between January 11 and 17, 2026, in Kibibi and Gombe town councils, Kivumbi and others allegedly participated in acts intended to intimidate the government for political purposes.

The charges include allegations that they attacked Kibibi Police Station and the Butambala Electoral Commission tally centre, damaged the Butambala–Gomba road and destroyed vehicles.

Kivumbi’s associates believe the latest arrest could be linked to comments he made after his release, in which he criticised President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, CDF Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and former Speaker Anita Among.

They also allege that his continued detention without being presented in court may be connected to injuries he allegedly sustained during interrogation while in custody. However, the claim has not been independently verified, and there has been no official confirmation from authorities.

-Observer

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