Former Butambala County Member of Parliament Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi has been re-arrested in Mpigi District, a day after the High Court granted him bail.
National Unity Platform lawyer Samuel Muyizzi said security personnel intercepted Kivumbi in Mpigi Town on Friday afternoon as he travelled from Butambala to Kampala.
Authorities had not issued an official statement about the arrest by press time. Kivumbi’s destination and the reasons for his re-arrest also remained unknown.
Muyizzi, who is part of Kivumbi’s legal team, said unidentified personnel blocked the road before taking the former legislator away.
“It is true he was returning to Kampala from Butambala where he spent the night,” Muyizzi said.
“As we were driving through Mpigi, a drone was driven into the middle of the road, and they picked him up and drove him away at high speed. We have not known his whereabouts since.”
The term “drone” is commonly used in Uganda to describe unmarked security vehicles associated with arrests.
High Court released Kivumbi on bail
Justice Susan Okalany of the International Crimes Division granted Kivumbi bail on Thursday, July 9, 2026.
He had spent nearly seven months on remand following his arrest on January 22, 2026.
The judge cited Kivumbi’s fixed place of residence, the suitability of his sureties and the prosecution’s failure to show that he would interfere with investigations.
His lawyers, Erias Lukwago, Samuel Muyizzi and Kenneth Paul Kakande, had applied for his release pending trial.
Kivumbi returned to Butambala after leaving prison and spent Thursday night in the district before beginning his journey to Kampala.
Terrorism charges remain before court
Prosecutors accuse Kivumbi and several other suspects of involvement in violence surrounding the January 15, 2026 general elections.
The prosecution alleges that between January 11 and January 17, the accused carried out acts in Kibibi and Gombe town councils intended to intimidate the government for political purposes.
The alleged offences include attacks on Kibibi Police Station and the Butambala Electoral Commission tally centre.
Prosecutors also accuse the suspects of damaging the Butambala-Gomba Road and destroying vehicles.
They further allege that seven people died during the incidents.
Kivumbi first appeared before the Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court on charges filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Prosecutors later added 24 other suspects to the case.
Although the High Court released him on bail, the substantive criminal proceedings remain before the court.
Associates link arrest to political remarks
The authorities had not disclosed whether Friday’s re-arrest involved the pending terrorism case or fresh allegations.
However, some of Kivumbi’s associates suspected that it could be connected to remarks he made after returning to Butambala on Thursday evening.
There was no official confirmation linking those statements to his arrest.
While addressing supporters, Kivumbi criticised President Yoweri Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni, Chief of Defence Forces Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba and former Speaker Anita Among.
He accused the four leaders of contributing to what he described as Uganda’s political crisis.
Kivumbi also criticised Muhoozi’s involvement in the Patriotic League of Uganda. He argued that the Constitution bars the Chief of Defence Forces from participating in partisan politics.
He told supporters that his time in prison had strengthened his resolve to continue campaigning for political change.
Kivumbi serves as the National Unity Platform vice president for Buganda. He lost the Butambala County parliamentary seat during the January 2026 general elections.
His latest arrest is likely to renew scrutiny of the circumstances in which opposition politicians are detained shortly after courts grant them bail.
