Muwanga Kivumbi Reappears at Nateete Police Station

The disappearance of opposition politician Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi came to a sudden, unexpected turn when he was dumped at Nateete Police Station by unidentified operatives. Kivumbi, who serves as a deputy president for the National Unity Platform and its vice-president for the central region, had been missing since July 10, 2026, sparking widespread concern from family, lawyers, and international human rights monitors.

High Court Orders and Government Denials Preceding the Release

Kivumbi’s reappearance arrived just as security agencies were running out of time to comply with a judicial directive. Justice Collins Acellam of the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala delivered a ruling on July 22 directing the Chief of Defence Forces, the Inspector General of Police, and the Attorney General to investigate Kivumbi’s whereabouts and file an affidavit detailing the outcome.

During the legal proceedings, the state maintained strict denials. Assistant Commissioner of Police Godwin Tumugumye swore an affidavit on behalf of the Inspector General of Police asserting that authorities were not holding the former lawmaker. Whereas it is true that the applicant’s motor vehicle was stopped at a police checkpoint, he was not arrested, abducted or detained by Police, Tumugumye stated in court documents.

Similarly, the Uganda People’s Defence Forces submitted an affidavit through Lt Col Edgar Musasizi, the UPDF director of civil affairs at the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs. Musasizi rejected claims of military custody or involvement in the politician’s seizure.

Musasizi further added that he had personally checked all gazetted military detention facilities and confirmed that the applicant is not and has never been in army custody.

Bail, Terrorism Charges, and the Timeline of the Disappearance

The sequence of events leading to the political figure’s detention dates back to January 2026. Authorities arrested Kivumbi alongside other opposition party deputy presidents Jolly Jackline Tukamushaba and Lina Zedriga Waru following the January 14 general elections. While Tukamushaba and Waru were eventually released after days in incommunicado detention, Kivumbi faced prosecution.

Prosecutors accused him of orchestrating and executing a violent attack on a police station and a polling station in Mpigi district during the general elections, an allegation that left seven people dead. Kivumbi denied the terrorism-related charges and spent approximately six months on remand before International Crimes Division Court Judge Susan Okalany granted him and his 16 co-accused a cash bail of 10 million shillings.

Yet, freedom proved short-lived. Shortly after securing his release on July 10, armed plainclothes and uniformed soldiers reportedly intercepted his vehicle near Mpigi Police Station, forcing him into a waiting van locally known as a “drone.” Human Rights Watch noted that Ugandan security agencies regularly re-arrest individuals shortly after courts grant them bail on politically charged offenses.

Unresolved Questions at Nateete Police Station

Following his drop-off at Nateete Police Station on Wednesday morning, uncertainty surrounds what procedures await the politician. Lawyers led by Samuel Muyizzi and family members had spent weeks petitioning the High Court through habeas corpus applications to compel authorities to produce him.

Although police units initially reported no record of his arrest or detention from July 10 onward, his physical presence at the station alters the legal landscape. Police officials have not yet issued an official statement explaining his sudden arrival, leaving it unclear whether he will face fresh charges, secure immediate freedom, or be presented back before the court.