A fresh storm erupted in Parliament after the Opposition demanded answers over the whereabouts of former Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, who was allegedly picked up by armed security operatives shortly after being released on bail.
The matter, raised by the Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Joel Ssenyonyi, reignited debate over constitutional safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention, emphasisizing that the country was witnessing a troubling pattern of enforced disappearances outside established legal procedures.
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, Ssenyonyi told the House that Kivumbi had been granted bail by court on Thursday, July 10, 2026, where he had stood surety in a criminal matter. According to the LOP, Kivumbi was travelling back to Kampala from Butambala the following day when he was intercepted by police officers backed by military personnel and reportedly forced into a white Toyota Hiace, commonly referred to as a “drone.”
Since then, Ssenyonyi said, neither Kivumbi’s family nor fellow Opposition leaders had been able to establish his whereabouts. “Mr Speaker, from Friday up to today, Tuesday, his family and we, his colleagues, have been looking for him. We do not know where Hon. Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi is,” Ssenyonyi told Parliament.
He challenged Government to answer two fundamental questions. “First, where is Hon. Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi? Second, is this now the new normal of how Government conducts arrests?”
Ssenyonyi argued that the Constitution provides a clear legal framework governing arrests and detention, making any deviation a direct challenge to the rule of law. He cited Article 23 of the Constitution of Uganda, 1995, which guarantees every person’s right to personal liberty and requires that anyone arrested be informed immediately of the reasons for the arrest, be detained only in a legally authorized place, and be produced before a competent court within 48 hours if not earlier released.
The constitutional safeguards are further reinforced under the Human Right Act, 2019, which empowers courts to provide effective remedies where constitutional rights are violated, including unlawful detention and enforced disappearance.
Ssenyonyi questioned reports suggesting Kivumbi had been targeted because of remarks allegedly made during a public address after his release.”If someone believes Hon. Kivumbi committed an offence through his speech, who determines that? It is the courts of law—not security agencies,” he argued.
He accused Government of applying a double standard by urging citizens to avoid mob justice while allegedly bypassing lawful arrest procedures itself. “Government consistently tells citizens not to take the law into their own hands but to hand suspects over to police. Why then does Government fail to follow the very procedures it preaches? We cannot continue preaching water while drinking wine.”
He maintained that if Kivumbi had committed any offence, he should simply be arrested lawfully and presented before court. “It has now been four days, Mr Speaker, and we still do not know where Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi is.”
Ssenyonyi linked Kivumbi’s disappearance to several previous incidents involving Opposition politicians who were reportedly rearrested immediately after obtaining court-ordered release.
He recalled the September 2021 arrests of former MPs Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana, who were reportedly rearrested outside Kigo Prison moments after being granted bail and the June 2024 arrest of former Busiki County MP Paul Akamba, who was allegedly picked up by armed operatives within court premises shortly after securing bail.
According to Ssenyonyi, such incidents raise broader concerns about respect for judicial decisions and the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers.”Have we now as a country departed from what the law clearly stipulates?” he asked.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, who presided over the sitting, directed the concerns to Deputy Government Chief Whip Dr Walter Crispus Kiyonga, observing that the matter extended beyond the Attorney General’s legal advisory role.
Kiyonga acknowledged the seriousness of the concerns but requested additional time to establish the facts. “I have heard him clearly. For me to give you a fitting answer, I request that you allow me to return tomorrow and provide a comprehensive response.”
However, Ssenyonyi insisted that while Government might require time to establish Kivumbi’s whereabouts, Parliament still deserved an immediate policy clarification on whether such operations reflected an officially sanctioned approach to arrests.
“Perhaps the Deputy Government Chief Whip needs time to find out where Hon. Kivumbi is because he was not the one who picked him up. We hope tomorrow Government will tell us where he is.”
“But my second concern is about the new normal. The country needs guidance. Is this now how arrests are conducted? That question should not have to wait until tomorrow.”
Following Ssenyonyi’s insistence, Deputy Speaker Tayebwa invited Attorney General Sam Mayanja addressed the House. Mayanja rejected suggestions that Uganda had adopted either a “new normal” or “old normal” regarding arrests. “The terms ‘new normal’ and ‘old normal’ do not exist in my legal vocabulary.”
He maintained that Uganda remains governed by constitutionalism. “As far as I know, this Parliament and this country remain under the dispensation of constitutionalism.”
Holding up a copy of the Constitution, Mayanja cited Article 23, which requires that every arrested person be detained only in a legally authorized place and immediately informed, in a language they understand, of the reasons for arrest and their right to legal representation.
However, the Attorney General acknowledged that Government had yet to verify the facts surrounding Kivumbi’s alleged arrest. “I do not have the facts regarding the alleged arrest. All I know is that we remain under a constitutional dispensation and Mr Kivumbi’s rights are protected.”
He Government would return with a full factual account.
“Tomorrow is not far. We shall return before Parliament with all the facts and ensure that the Constitution, which we all swore to protect, is indeed protected.”
Articles 23 and 24, guarantees protection against arbitrary detention and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. The Police Act, the Criminal Procedure Code Act, and obligations under international instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, also require arrests to follow due process, with detainees promptly brought before judicial authorities-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
