What I saw in an army cell. Kivumbi: “They thought I would die”

What the report says

The Observer reports that Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, the former Butambala County MP and National Unity Platform vice-president for Buganda, has been remanded again to Kitalya Prison after new charges were filed against him in Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court. According to the article, he is expected to seek bail on August 11. The case follows his brief release on bail after nearly six months on remand over earlier terrorism allegations tied to post-election violence in Butambala.

In a detailed account given to The Observer from prison, Kivumbi said he was abducted on July 10 while travelling after prayers, taken in a security van, hooded, beaten and held for 19 days without access to lawyers or family. He described being questioned about his criticism of President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni and Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and said he was kept in a room where he heard other detainees being tortured. The account is presented as his version of events and was not independently verified in the article.

The report says Kivumbi was eventually taken to Nateete Police Station, where he met his lawyer, before being returned to court and remanded on fresh counts of managing an unlawful society and inciting violence. The article says his allegations have revived concern about detention practices, due process and the treatment of political figures in Uganda. It also notes the broader backdrop of disputed elections and violent unrest in Butambala, which remains central to the case.