Former Butambala County Member of Parliament Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi has been transferred to Butambala District, where he is expected to appear before the Chief Magistrate’s Court, shortly after resurfacing at Nateete Police Station following more than two weeks of unexplained disappearance.
Kivumbi’s transfer came before his lawyers and senior officials from the National Unity Platform (NUP) could gain access to him at the police station.
His lawyer, Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa, said their legal team arrived at Nateete Police Station only to learn that Kivumbi had already been removed under police escort and taken to Butambala.
Among those who rushed to the station were Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi and NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya, who had hoped to meet Kivumbi after news emerged that he had resurfaced earlier in the day.
Kivumbi’s brother, Hajji Musa Lutaaya, said he watched as police officers drove him away at around 12:30 p.m. but was not allowed to speak to or see him.
According to Lutaaya, the family was not informed about the purpose of the transfer or whether Kivumbi would be formally charged upon arrival in Butambala.
“I saw the police vehicle leave with him, and I followed behind, but we were not given any explanation,” he said.
Earlier, Rubongoya said the party was monitoring developments closely after receiving information that Kivumbi had been found at Nateete Police Station.
He noted that NUP leaders had initially believed Kivumbi would remain at the station before being produced in court, only to learn that he had already been transported to Butambala.
Kivumbi resurfaced on Wednesday morning after reportedly being dropped at Nateete Police Station by unidentified security operatives from an undisclosed location.
He had not been seen in public since July 9, when he allegedly disappeared at a roadblock along the Masaka Kampala Highway, a day after securing bail from the International Crimes Division of the High Court in a terrorism-related case.
During his disappearance, his family and lawyers filed several court applications seeking orders compelling security agencies to account for his whereabouts. Both the Uganda Police Force and the Uganda People’s Defence Forces repeatedly denied holding him.
Last week, Senior Presidential Assistant Gen. Proscovia Nalweyiso told journalists that Kivumbi was being detained over allegations unrelated to the terrorism charges for which he had obtained bail, although she did not disclose the nature of those allegations.
His reappearance also followed a directive by High Court Judge Collins Acellam ordering the Chief of Defence Forces, the Inspector General of Police and the Attorney General to conclude investigations into Kivumbi’s disappearance and report their findings to court. Government maintained that it had no knowledge of where he had been held.
By the time of publication, authorities had not disclosed whether Kivumbi would face fresh charges before the Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court. Claims that he was subjected to torture during his disappearance had also not been independently verified.
English 