Opposition Members of Parliament have demanded that the government account for the whereabouts of former Butambala MP and National Unity Platform (NUP) Deputy President for Buganda, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, six days after his arrest.
Led by the Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, the MPs raised the matter during Wednesday’s parliamentary sitting, expressing concern over what they described as continued human rights violations.
Kivumbi was arrested on Friday last week in Mpigi District while travelling from Butambala. Since then, his family, lawyers and doctors have reportedly been unable to establish where he is being held.
“It is now the sixth day since the arrest, but Kivumbi’s family, lawyers and doctors have all failed to establish where he is being held. This is a very serious matter that the House needs to know,” Ssenyonyi told Parliament.
He urged the government to immediately allow Kivumbi’s family, legal team and doctors access to him, arguing that the constitutional safeguards under Article 23 should be observed without delay whenever a person is arrested.
Ssenyonyi also asked the government to account for the whereabouts of other missing persons, including Christopher Godin, also known as King Zali, and Sam Mugumya.
“We would like the Government to tell us where these people are and to ensure that the law is followed,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the government, Second Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Leader of Government Business, Dr Crispus Kiyonga, asked Parliament to give security agencies more time to prepare a comprehensive report on Kivumbi’s whereabouts.
However, Ssenyonyi rejected the request, insisting that six days was already too long for the government to remain silent about the location of a person believed to be in state custody.
Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oboth Oboth directed the opposition leadership and the Leader of Government Business to engage security agencies and ensure that Kivumbi’s family is granted access to him.
The Speaker also proposed a dedicated parliamentary debate on the state of human rights in Uganda, saying Parliament should assess how constitutional protections are being upheld while also considering the rights of victims and complainants.
“Uganda has made a lot of progress on these matters of human rights. We should not lose them,” Oboth said.
Kivumbi’s latest arrest came barely a day after he was granted bail following 169 days on remand. His re-arrest is reportedly linked to remarks he made while addressing supporters at his home after his release, where he vowed to “continue from where he had stopped.”
He was initially arrested in January over alleged electoral violence in Butambala following the January 2026 general elections. Prosecutors allege that between January 11 and January 17, Kivumbi and 25 co-accused orchestrated attacks on Kibibi Police Station, the Butambala Electoral Commission tally centre and other targets.
According to the prosecution, the attacks were intended to influence government actions or intimidate the public and resulted in the deaths of seven people.
Kivumbi and his co-accused were subsequently charged with terrorism before the Butambala Magistrate’s Court and remanded to prison, where he spent nearly six months before being granted bail.
