Muwanga Kivumbi Reappears After 19 Days, Charged in Butambala Court

For 19 days, the whereabouts of former Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi remained unknown, with the search stretching from the outskirts of Mpigi to the High Court in Kampala.

On Wednesday morning, the mystery appeared to come to an end—not through a dramatic court order or an official announcement by security agencies, but after news emerged that the National Unity Platform (NUP) Deputy President for the Buganda Region had been found at Nateete Police Station.

The development came hours before the High Court was expected to continue hearing his habeas corpus application, which sought to compel authorities to produce the missing politician before court.

Kivumbi was later taken under tight security to Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court, where he was presented before a judicial officer after what his party described as 19 days of incommunicado detention.

NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya said they received the information while attending the High Court hearing.

“While we were at the High Court to follow up his habeas corpus application, we were informed that Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi was dumped this morning at Nateete Police. On reaching there, we were informed he was being taken to court in Butambala, and we have not yet been given the opportunity to see him. This comes after 19 days of incommunicado detention,” Rubongoya said.

Kivumbi’s sudden reappearance marked a dramatic twist in a saga that began on July 10, barely a day after he had secured bail from the High Court.

According to his family, Kivumbi was travelling with his brother, Hajj Musa Lutaaya, when their vehicle was stopped at a police checkpoint near Mpigi Police Station.

Lutaaya alleged that security officers pulled Kivumbi out of the vehicle and forced him into another vehicle, which drove away to an unknown destination.

His family and the NUP later claimed that the former MP had been taken by security personnel and held without access to his lawyers or relatives.

They further alleged that Kivumbi was later transferred to Bombo Military Hospital in critical condition after being tortured while in captivity.

The allegations sparked a legal battle, with Kivumbi’s lawyers filing an application for a writ of habeas corpus seeking orders compelling security agencies to produce him before court, release him unconditionally and explain the circumstances of his detention.

However, as the search intensified, security agencies denied any knowledge of his whereabouts.

In affidavits filed before court, both the Uganda Police Force and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) denied arresting or detaining Kivumbi.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Godwin Tumugumye stated that police records did not indicate that Kivumbi had been arrested or detained by the force. Police maintained that although his vehicle had been stopped at a checkpoint, he was “neither arrested, abducted, nor detained by the Uganda Police Force.”

The military also denied holding the former legislator. In an affidavit filed on behalf of the Chief of Defence Forces, Lt Col Edgar Musasizi said checks conducted at UPDF detention facilities confirmed that Kivumbi was not in military custody. He also denied allegations that UPDF officers had abducted or unlawfully detained him.

The conflicting positions left the High Court with a difficult question—how could it issue a writ requiring authorities to produce a person when no state agency admitted holding him?

On July 22, Justice Collins Acellam declined to immediately issue the writ, instead giving security agencies seven days to investigate and report on Kivumbi’s whereabouts.

The judge noted that habeas corpus is a constitutional safeguard designed to protect personal liberty by requiring authorities holding a person in custody to produce them before court.

However, he ruled that the remedy could not effectively be granted while the court did not know where Kivumbi was or who was responsible for his detention.

“An order of habeas corpus would be ineffective at this stage if it cannot be directed to the person or authority required to produce the applicant,” Justice Acellam ruled.

He directed the Inspector General of Police, the Chief of Defence Forces and the Attorney General to conclude investigations and file an update before the court.

Seven days later, as the parties returned to court, the mystery surrounding Kivumbi’s whereabouts appeared to have been resolved following his appearance at Nateete Police Station.

However, the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, his 19-day absence from public view and how he eventually ended up at Nateete Police Station remain unclear.

At Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court, Kivumbi was charged with incitement to violence and managing an unlawful society.

For his supporters, the episode has become a symbol of their concerns over the treatment of opposition figures, while security agencies are likely to face renewed scrutiny over the events that unfolded between Mpigi and Nateete.