Uganda’s opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) says it will petition the High Court for a write of habeas corpus after one of its senior officials allegedly disappeared following his reported re-arrest in Mpigi District.
The party said Muhammad Kivumbi Muwanga, NUP’s vice president for Buganda, has not been seen since Friday when he was reportedly arrested while traveling to Butambala District, just a day after being granted bail by the International Crimes Division of the High Court.
NUP lawyers said they have searched police stations in Mpigi, Kampala and other locations but were told Kivumbi was not being held there. They also said they received unconfirmed reports suggesting he may have been taken to military facilities in Mbuya, although they had not been able to verify the information.
Party lawyer Samuel Muyizi said the legal team intends to file a habeas corpus application against the Chief of Defence Forces and the Inspector General of Police, asking the court to compel authorities to produce Kivumbi if he is being held in lawful custody.
A writ of habeas corpus is a legal safeguard that allows courts to require authorities to present a detained person and justify the legal basis for their detention.
NUP spokesperson and Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi criticized what he described as a pattern of unlawful arrests and enforced disappearances, arguing that criminal suspects should be detained only through procedures established by law.
He said that if Kivumbi was suspected of committing an offense, he should have been taken to a recognized detention facility and produced before a competent court within the legal framework.
Kivumbi was initially arrested in January and charged under Uganda’s Anti-Terrorism Act over violence that prosecutors say occurred in Butambala District following the January general elections. Prosecutors allege he and several co-accused participated in attacks on public facilities, destruction of property and other acts linked to post-election unrest that reportedly left seven people dead.
Last week, Justice Susan Okalany granted Kivumbi bail after ruling that he had a fixed place of residence, reliable sureties and that prosecutors had not demonstrated he would interfere with investigations.
The circumstances surrounding his reported re-arrest remain unclear. By the time of publication, neither the Uganda Police Force nor the Uganda People’s Defence Forces had publicly commented on his whereabouts or explained the reasons for the reported arrest.
Some of Kivumbi’s associates believe the incident may be connected to political remarks he made after his release on bail, including criticism of President Yoweri Museveni and other senior government officials. Those claims have not been independently verified, and authorities have not confirmed any link between his reported re-arrest and his public statements.
