Muwanga Kivumbi transferred to Butambala after resurfacing at Nateete police station

What the report says

The Observer reports that former Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi was moved from Nateete police station to Butambala district on Wednesday, where he was expected to be taken before the Chief Magistrate’s Court. The transfer came only hours after he reappeared at Nateete following more than two weeks during which his family and lawyers said they did not know where he was.

Kivumbi’s lawyer, Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa, said the former MP was taken away before his legal team and National Unity Platform officials could meet him. The Observer says Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi and NUP secretary general David Lewis Rubongoya were among those who reached the station after he had already been driven off. Kivumbi’s brother, Hajji Musa Lutaaya, told Uganda Radio Network that Kivumbi was placed in a police vehicle at about 12:30 pm under heavy escort, and said the family had not been told whether he was being taken to court or what charges he might face.

According to the report, Kivumbi had been missing since July 9, 2026, when he was allegedly re-arrested by unidentified security personnel along the Masaka–Kampala highway, a day after receiving bail from the International Crimes Division of the High Court on terrorism charges. Police and the army had denied holding him, while his lawyers and relatives sought court orders requiring state agencies to produce him or reveal his location.

The case is significant because it raises questions about detention, access to lawyers and compliance with court oversight. The Observer says it was still unclear at publication whether Kivumbi would face new charges in Butambala, and allegations that he was tortured had not been independently verified.