KAMPALA, Uganda — The High Court in Kampala has directed Uganda’s security agencies to establish the whereabouts of former Butambala County Member of Parliament Muwanga Kivumbi within seven days following allegations that he was abducted by security operatives shortly after his release on bail.
In a ruling delivered on July 22, Justice Collins Acellam of the Civil Division ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), and the Attorney General to investigate Kivumbi’s whereabouts and file an affidavit before the court detailing the outcome of their inquiries.
The directive followed a habeas corpus application filed on behalf of Kivumbi, seeking an order compelling whoever is holding him to produce him before court or secure his immediate and unconditional release.
Justice Acellam ruled that while Kivumbi’s whereabouts remain unknown, the respondents had indicated their willingness to continue investigations, making it appropriate to grant them a limited period to establish his location.
“Since the applicant’s whereabouts remain unknown, and the respondents have indicated their willingness to continue inquiries to establish where he is, it is prudent to allow them a limited opportunity to do so,” the judge ruled.
He explained that issuing a writ of habeas corpus at this stage would be ineffective because the court has not yet identified the individual or authority allegedly holding the former legislator.
A writ of habeas corpus is a legal remedy that compels the person or authority detaining an individual to produce that person before court, enabling the court to determine whether the detention is lawful and to issue appropriate orders.
The case has been scheduled for further hearing on July 29 at 9:00 a.m.
In response to the application, the Uganda Police Force denied allegations that Kivumbi is in its custody.
In an affidavit sworn by Assistant Commissioner of Police Godwin Tumugumye on behalf of Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba, police acknowledged that Kivumbi’s vehicle was stopped at a police checkpoint but maintained that he was neither arrested nor detained by police officers.
“Whereas it is true that the applicant’s motor vehicle was stopped at a police checkpoint, he was not arrested, abducted or detained by Police,” Tumugumye stated.
The affidavit further says police inquiries conducted at relevant stations and units found no record indicating that Kivumbi had been arrested or detained between July 10, 2026, and the present date.
Police also argued that lawyers representing the former legislator, led by Samuel Muyizzi, had not presented documentary evidence proving that he is being held by the police.
Kivumbi, who also serves as the National Unity Platform (NUP) Vice President for the Central Region, was reportedly re-arrested by unidentified armed men shortly after securing Shs10 million cash bail before the International Crimes Division of the High Court.
According to his lawyers, the former MP was allegedly forced into a waiting van commonly known as a “drone” at a police checkpoint in Mpigi District and has not been seen since.
Justice Susan Okalany had granted bail to Kivumbi and his 16 co-accused, who are facing terrorism charges linked to alleged attacks on a police station and a polling station in Mpigi District during the January 2026 general elections.
The prosecution alleges that seven people were killed during the violence. Before being granted bail, Kivumbi had spent approximately six months on remand.
The High Court’s latest directive now places the responsibility on the country’s security agencies to establish Kivumbi’s whereabouts and report back to court as the legal battle over his alleged disappearance continues.
