Amnesty International Condemns Alleged Enforced Disappearance of Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi

What the report says

Nile Post reported that Amnesty International has demanded that Ugandan authorities reveal the whereabouts of Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, the former Butambala County MP and National Unity Platform deputy president for Buganda. The rights group said Kivumbi was allegedly taken by security personnel on July 10, 2026, less than a day after the High Court granted him bail. Authorities, according to the report, say inquiries into where he is remain underway.

According to Nile Post, Amnesty International said Kivumbi was removed from his vehicle at a roadblock in Mpigi District, roughly 40 kilometres from Kampala, and taken to an undisclosed place. The organisation said his relatives and lawyers had not been able to contact him, and called for his immediate release or, until then, access to legal counsel, family and any needed medical care. Amnesty also framed the case as part of what it says is a wider pattern of abuses against opposition figures and supporters in Uganda.

The report said the High Court in Kampala declined to immediately grant a habeas corpus order, instead directing the government to complete investigations and report back within seven days. Justice Collins Acellam ordered the Chief of Defence Forces, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General to file affidavits before the court decides the application. The matter was set for mention and further hearing on July 29, 2026.

Nile Post cited a police affidavit saying the Uganda Police Force had no record of arresting or detaining Kivumbi, though his vehicle had been stopped at a checkpoint. Eyewitnesses alleged armed men in UPDF uniforms took him away. Kivumbi had recently been released on Shs10 million bail after months on remand over terrorism-related charges, which he denies.