The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | URN | Despite police denying knowledge of the whereabouts of former Butambala County Member of Parliament Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, a highly placed source insists that the Mpigi District Police Commander supervised the operation that led to his arrest on Friday. Kivumbi was intercepted near Mpigi Police Station while travelling to Kampala, just a day after he had been granted bail by the International Crimes Division of the High Court.
According to his family and lawyers, his whereabouts have remained unknown since then. Although the Uganda Police Force has not officially acknowledged holding Kivumbi, video footage recorded during the operation shows uniformed police officers working alongside plain-clothed operatives to stop 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 apparently coordinating the operation. The officer 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.
While Katonga Regional Police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said she was unaware of the operation, police sources in Mpigi told Uganda Radio Network that the operation was supervised by Mpigi District Police Commander, Robert Kuzaala. The same sources identified Kuzaala as the officer seen communicating during the arrest. Kuzaala is a senior Uganda Police Force officer who has previously served as District Police Commander in Gomba and Otuke districts and at Kira Road Police Station in Kampala. In Mpigi, he has overseen public order and community policing operations.
Unlike several previous arrests involving unidentified plain-clothed operatives that police have later distanced themselves from, Kivumbi’s lawyers argue that this operation was carried out directly by the Uganda Police Force. National Unity Platform (NUP) lawyer Samuel Muyizi said police officers intercepted Kivumbi before handing him over to plain-clothed operatives, making the force accountable for his disappearance.
“We were also shocked that police in Mpigi, Kampala and other jurisdictions have denied holding him. But it is clear that they are the ones who carried out the operation, and they should produce him in court once we file a habeas corpus application,” Muyizi said. One of Kivumbi’s relatives, who was travelling with him on the day of the arrest, said they left Kibibi-Butambala Mosque shortly after Juma prayers on Friday and were heading to Kampala when they noticed a vehicle they believed belonged to a Resident District Commissioner following them from Kabasanda.
According to the relative, police intercepted their vehicle in Mpigi Town and ordered Kivumbi to get out. “He was coming to Kampala to continue processing paperwork for his co-accused who are still in jail. But in Kabasanda, a vehicle believed to belong to an RDC started following us, and we were later intercepted by police in Mpigi. The police officers told him to get out of the vehicle or they would harm everyone who was with him,” the relative said.On Monday, Muyizi said legal teams searched police stations in Mpigi, Kampala and other areas but were informed that Kivumbi was not being held there. He added that lawyers had also received unverified reports suggesting Kivumbi may have been taken to Mbuya Military Headquarters. He said they were preparing to file a habeas corpus application against the Inspector General of Police and the Chief of Defence Forces seeking an order compelling security agencies to produce him before court.
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 before his re-arrest the following 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. However, these claims have not been confirmed by the authorities, and no official reason has been given for his re-arrest or his continued disappearance. By the time of publication, the Uganda Police Force had not issued an official statement explaining Kivumbi’s arrest or disclosing where he is being held.
