Court Awaits Ruling as State Fails to Account for Missing MP Kivumbi

What the report says

Nile Post reports that the High Court is expected to rule on a habeas corpus application brought by lawyers for missing Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, a senior National Unity Platform official. The application asks court to compel security agencies, including police and the military, to present Kivumbi and explain the lawful basis for any continued detention.

According to the report, the case took a significant turn during a Tuesday hearing when the State filed a police affidavit saying Kivumbi had been apprehended at a checkpoint in Mpigi during a joint security operation, while also stating that he was no longer in police custody. The article says the Attorney General had earlier asked for more time, indicating that government officials were working to address the matter.

Kivumbi’s legal team said searches at several police facilities, including CID and Police Headquarters, had not located him. Because the military had not filed a response to the application, the lawyers told court they suspect he may be in military custody. Nile Post also reported that lawyer Medard Lubega Sseggona claimed Kivumbi was receiving treatment at a military health facility but that family, lawyers and his personal doctor had been denied access; the outlet noted that this claim had not been independently verified.

The matter is significant because habeas corpus applications test whether the State can justify holding a person and produce them before court. Nile Post adds that Kivumbi had been granted bail by the International Crimes Division on July 9 after 169 days on remand over terrorism charges linked to post-election violence in Butambala, and was reportedly rearrested near Mpigi the next day.