Muwanga Kivumbi taken back to court, sent to Kitalya

Butambala, Uganda | URN | Former Butambala MP and National Unity Platform-NUP Buganda Vice President Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, 52, has been charged with inciting violence and managing an unlawful society in Butambala district.

According to the charge sheet, the offences that include incitement to violence and managing an unlawful society are alleged to have been committed on the 9th day of July 2026 at Bugoye Village, Gombe Ward, Gombe Town Council in Butambala District.

It is alleged that Kivumbi and others still at large, while addressing a public gathering, unlawfully incited members of the public to commit acts of violence against government officials and to unlawfully overthrow the Government of the Republic of Uganda by urging them to support his plan to wage war against it and seize power.

The state also said that he and others still at large also managed an unlawful society by organizing, encouraging or supporting members of the public to rise against and unlawfully overthrow the Government of the Republic of Uganda.

After 19 days in detention, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi was on Wednesday morning taken by JATT operatives to Nateete Police Station at 9:00 am to be charged. He was later produced in Butambala Court before Grade One Magistrate Amina Wahab.  A visibly weak Kivumbi appeared before court, where he and his family were present.

Lawyer Medard Lubega Ssegona says they were not told where Kivumbi was detained. “We have not been able to establish where he has been detained all along, because he himself doesn’t know. He was blindfolded, taken and dumped to a place he doesn’t know, where he received severe beatings until he bled profusely after being hit on the head,” Ssegona said.

Appearing in court, Kivumbi alleged torture during detention, showing injuries he sustained on his arms, back, and head. He told the court he required medical treatment. “The only treatment he received was to stop the bleeding. When their personnel doctor came, he requested a scan on the head, which was not available. A reason probably they decided to bring him to court,” Ssegona stated.

Ssegona said they presented substantial sureties, including Joel Ssenyonyi, the Leader of Opposition, but the Chief Magistrate remanded Kivumbi to Kitalya prison until 11th August as the state verifies their documents.

Ssegona further stated that they tried to argue his case for bail, and the court said there was a need for two weeks’ time.

“It’s unfortunate that there is a misunderstanding of the law by so many people. The accused is not supposed to justify his bail, because freedom is granted in the constitution. Once he satisfies the conditions in the bail guidelines, it automatically becomes the task of the state to prove the case against him. Unfortunately, the norm is seemingly changing, that the accused should prove his bail,” Ssegona noted.

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 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 criticized President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba and former Speaker Anita Among.

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