More than ten days after his dramatic re-arrest, the whereabouts of Hon. Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, former Butambala County MP and NUP Deputy President for Buganda, remain unknown to his family, lawyers, and the public. This silence has fuelled disturbing rumours: that he was killed, tortured to death, or is receiving treatment in hospital after severe abuse. These claims, while unverified, cannot be dismissed lightly in a context where enforced disappearances and incommunicado detention have become disturbingly familiar.

The abduction in broad daylight. On July 9, 2026, Justice Susan Okalanyi granted Kivumbi bail after 169 days on remand over terrorism charges tied to post-election violence in Butambala. The following day, while travelling from Butambala toward Kampala, his vehicle was intercepted at a roadblock in Mpigi. Eyewitnesses and video evidence show traffic police involvement, followed by armed men — some in UPDF uniforms with face coverings, others in plainclothes — who surrounded the car, pulled him out, and bundled him into an unmarked "drone" vehicle. Attempts by supporters and journalists to follow were blocked. This occurred mere hours after a court-ordered release, raising profound questions about respect for judicial authority.

Circulating reports and public anguish. Disturbing allegations have proliferated on social media and in opposition circles. NUP leader Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) highlighted reports that Kivumbi "was tortured to near death at Kasenyi SFC military barracks and is now being hidden from the public while receiving treatment before he can be produced." Kivumbi's family organised dua (Islamic prayers) in Butambala, attended by Leader of the Opposition Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, NUP Acting President Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe, and other political figures — a public show of solidarity and quiet desperation. No official confirmation of death, torture, or hospitalisation has emerged from authorities.

A pattern of abductions. Kivumbi's case does not exist in isolation. Uganda has witnessed multiple high-profile instances of opposition figures, activists, and civilians being picked up by security operatives — often in unmarked vehicles — and held without immediate judicial oversight. The Uganda Law Society and human rights advocates have repeatedly condemned such practices as erosions of constitutional protections. Habeas corpus applications, like the one filed by Kivumbi's lawyers naming the CDF, IGP, and Attorney General, seek exactly this clarity: produce him dead or alive, or release him.

Where is Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi? After more than ten days, the burden lies squarely on state agencies to account for his well-being and legal status. Rumours of death or critical injury thrive in information vacuums; transparency is the antidote. The prayers in Butambala and public outcry reflect not just concern for one man, but for the soul of constitutional governance.