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Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi has demanded that the government explain the whereabouts of Butambala County MP and National Unity Platform (NUP) Deputy President for Buganda, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, whose location has remained unknown since Friday after he was reportedly intercepted by armed men in Mpigi District.
Raising the matter in Parliament, Ssenyonyi questioned what he described as a growing pattern of enforced disappearances, asking: "Is this the new normal?" He urged the government to account for Kivumbi and ensure that he is either produced before a competent court or released if no lawful grounds exist for his detention.
Kivumbi was arrested in January 2026 during a dawn security operation at his home in Butambala, days after the January general election. He was later charged with terrorism-related offences, with prosecutors alleging that he and others planned attacks on police stations and Electoral Commission offices in Butambala.
The opposition leader has consistently denied the accusations, describing them as politically motivated. He spent nearly five months on remand at Kitalya Prison before the International Crimes Division of the High Court granted him bail last week.
Re-Arrest After Bail
Just hours after his release, Kivumbi was travelling from Butambala to Kampala on Friday when his convoy was reportedly stopped at a security roadblock in Mpigi.
According to eyewitnesses and his party, heavily armed men—some in military uniforms and others in plain clothes—surrounded his vehicle, pulled him out and forced him into a waiting "drone" van before driving away to an unknown destination. Attempts by supporters and journalists to follow the vehicle were reportedly blocked.
Since then, his family and lawyers say they have searched several police stations, including Police Headquarters in Naguru, but have been unable to establish where he is being held. They have indicated they will seek a writ of habeas corpus if authorities fail to disclose his whereabouts.
As pressure mounts from Parliament, the legal fraternity and opposition leaders, government and security agencies had not publicly explained Kivumbi's detention or confirmed where he is being held at the time of reporting.
Video Courtesy of Parliament watch Uganda.