KAMPALA — Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi has asked the government to account for the whereabouts of National Unity Platform (NUP) Vice President for Buganda Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi following his reported rearrest shortly after he was granted bail last week.
Raising the matter during Tuesday's plenary sitting, Ssenyonyi told Parliament that Kivumbi's family, lawyers and political colleagues had been unable to establish his whereabouts for the past four days, raising concerns about his safety and legal status.
In response, Second Deputy Prime Minister Dr Crispus Kiyonga said he would return to Parliament on Wednesday with a government statement on the matter.
Kivumbi was granted bail by the International Crimes Division of the High Court after spending nearly six months on remand at Kitalya Prison on terrorism-related charges alongside 16 co-accused. He denies the charges.
According to Ssenyonyi, Kivumbi was intercepted by security operatives in Mpigi shortly after his release while travelling from Butambala to Kampala and has not been seen publicly since.
Addressing the House, Ssenyonyi questioned the circumstances surrounding the reported rearrest, arguing that if authorities had concerns about statements allegedly made by Kivumbi after his release, the matter should be handled through established legal processes.
"The government has several times been urging the population to avoid mob justice, and on that front, I agree with the government," Ssenyonyi said.
"Government officials, the police and security agencies have been saying, 'If you catch someone doing something wrong, take them to the police.' If we agree on that, why doesn't the government do exactly that?"
He argued that determining whether a public address violates the law is the responsibility of the courts, not security agencies, adding that if security agencies detain a person without disclosing their whereabouts, serious legal questions arise.
Ssenyonyi said Parliament should be informed where Kivumbi is being held and under what legal authority he was taken into custody after being released on bail.
Kivumbi was arrested in January and charged with terrorism-related offences arising from alleged incidents of violence in Butambala.
Parliament is expected to receive the government's formal response when the House resumes on Wednesday.
