Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Uganda People’s Defence Forces and Uganda Police Force have remained tight-lipped on the whereabouts of former Butambala MP Muwanga Kivumbi, 11 days after his arrest.
Kivumbi was intercepted near Mpigi Police Station while travelling to Kampala, a day after the International Crimes Division of the High Court granted him bail on July 10, 2026. Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke told Uganda Radio Network that if Kivumbi was in custody of security agencies, he would be produced in court at an appropriate time.
“If security forces have him, then he shall appear in court,” Rusoke said. The police spokesperson, who appeared reluctant to answer questions about arrests and incommunicado detentions, added that he could not discuss past cases such as Erias Lukwago’s arrest, saying the matter is in court.
Although the Uganda Police Force has not officially acknowledged holding Kivumbi, video recording of his arrest shows uniformed police officers working alongside plain-clothed operatives stopping his vehicle before he was driven away in a Toyota Hiace, commonly known as a drone.
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 vehicle while the Hiace waits a short distance away. The video also shows a masked Superintendent of Police coordinating the operation.
The officer who was identified as Robert Kuzzala, the Mpigi Police Commander, 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 his lawyers, Samuel Muyizi, said they filed a habeas corpus application last week at the International Crimes Division of the High Court. On Friday, the court said the Attorney General had requested time to respond, and the matter was adjourned to Tuesday, July 21, 2026.
Muyizi said they sued IGP Abbas Byakagaba and CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, seeking a habeas corpus order to produce Muwanga, alive or dead. The application, filed after days of searching police stations in Mpigi and Kampala, is reportedly set for hearing on Tuesday.
On Monday, National Unity Platform leaders led by Acting Party President John Baptist Nambeshe and Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi gathered at the home of Party Deputy Secretary General and former Butambala Woman MP Aisha Kabanda. They were joined by Kivumbi’s supporters for Duwa prayers for Muwanga Kivumbi, who remains missing since his arrest on July 10, 2026.
Kivumbi was initially arrested on January 22, 2026, over violence allegedly committed 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 alleged attacks on Kibibi Police Station and the Butambala Electoral Commission tally centre, damaging the Butambala–Gomba Road and destroying vehicles. He was granted bail by the International Crimes Division of the High Court on Thursday 09th before his re-arrest the next day.
His associates believe the latest arrest may be linked to remarks he made after his release, during which he sharply criticised President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and former Speaker Anita Among. They further allege that his continued detention without being produced in court could be a result of injuries he may have sustained during intense interrogations in detention facilities.
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