Muwanga Kivumbi remanded back to Kitalya amid protest over ‘forced’ Police statement

Butambala County Member of Parliament Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi has been remanded back to Kitalya Prison after his lawyers’ efforts to secure bail hit a snag.

The application to release the MP along with 24 other persons arrested during the recent elections, was stalled by a controversial amendment to the charge sheet and claims of an allegedly “forced” police statement. 

The latest developments in court on Monday saw Kivumbi remain in custody as legal teams and human rights observers raised fresh concerns about the handling of the case.

Kivumbi, a senior figure in the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) and vice president for Buganda, was initially arrested on 22 January 2026 in connection with violent incidents in Butambala District following the disputed 15 January general elections. 

Police confirmed his arrest in a dawn operation, alleging his involvement in political violence that left several people dead and injured. 

The arrest was widely reported after President Yoweri Museveni publicly accused him of backing panga attacks and orchestrating unrest in areas where NUP candidates suffered defeat.

At his first court appearance before the Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court, Kivumbi was charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act with coordinating a series of armed attacks between 11 and 17 January 2026 in Kibibi and Gombe, including alleged assaults on Kibibi Police Station and the Butambala Electoral Commission tally centre. 

Prosecutors claimed the acts were intended to intimidate the government and the public for political aims and mentioned extensive property damage and deaths.

During the bail application hearing—which included a team led by Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago and MPs Medard Lubega Sseggona and Asuman Basalirwa—the defence objected strongly to the addition of 24 other accused persons to the charge sheet. 

They described the amendment as an ambush, inconsistent with the law and prejudicial to the detainees’ rights.

The defence further argued that Kivumbi was not properly informed of his charge at the time of arrest and had not recorded a voluntary police statement because he insisted on documenting only what he personally knew. 

They complained that while recording his account at Kiira Police Station—particularly about alleged killings by security personnel—police officers refused to continue unless references to these incidents were removed.

“At Kiira Police Station, Hon. Kivumbi was asked to record a statement in the presence of Hon. Asuman Basalirwa, which he voluntarily undertook,” the defence team told court.

“ However, when he reached the part where he stated that police and military personnel murdered 10 people in his house, the officer recording the statement declined to proceed. The officer insisted that the statement could only continue if all references to the alleged cold-blooded killings were omitted.”

Prosecution’s withdrawal of charges against the other suspects halted bail proceedings, prompting the court to adjourn the matter to 17 February 2026 and to order that the 24 men be transferred to Kitalya, while women accused will be taken to Luzira Women’s Prison.