The Uganda Police Force has confirmed the arrest of Butambala County legislator Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi. He is currently in police custody and will be arraigned in court in due course, police said in a brief issued Thursday. Lydia Tumushabe, the Katonga region, confirmed Kivumbi’s arrest but did not provide details regarding the reasons or circumstances leading to it.
The arrest follows violent clashes that occurred on and after the January 15 general elections, during which groups reportedly attempted to attack apolice station and the district vote tally centre in Butambala. At least 10 people were killed in the district. Kivumbi, a member of the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP), has denied allegations linking him to any wrongdoing, saying security forces raided his home in Bugoye village, shooting and killing several of his campaign team members who had gathered after polls closed.
Kivumbi described the operation as a “brutal crackdown” on his supporters and rejected claims that he mobilised people to engage in violence. In media interviews, the lawmaker accused security personnel of opening fire on people sheltering at his residence, where they were awaiting election outcomes. He and his wife — a legal academic — have called for an independent investigation into the deaths and say they possess footage supporting their claims.
The arrest comes after comments by President Yoweri Museveni, who accused Kivumbi and other opposition figures of planning coordinated violent attacks in areas where the NUP lost seats. Museveni labelled some opposition elements as “terrorists” and said intelligence suggested post‑election violence was being orchestrated in districts including Butambala.
He defended the security response as necessary to preserve peace after the elections. Museveni’s broader remarks on the election campaign have stressed the need to maintain stability, even as critics and international observers have raised concerns about repression and restrictions on political activity during the polls.
