Police have confirmed the arrest of Butambala County opposition lawmaker Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, days after President Yoweri Museveni publicly accused him of backing violent, panga-wielding attacks linked to post-election unrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Uganda Police Force would like to confirm the arrest of the Butambala County legislator, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi. He is currently in police custody and will be arraigned before court in due course,\u201d Katonga regional police spokesperson Lydia Tumushabe said in a brief statement posted on X on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kivumbi\u2019s arrest comes amid heightened political tension following last week\u2019s General Election and growing concern over the treatment of opposition figures. The National Unity Platform (NUP) leader, Robert Kyagulanyi\u2014popularly known as Bobi Wine\u2014has alleged that hundreds of party supporters and two senior officials have been forcibly disappeared in recent days, claims authorities have not publicly addressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The arrest follows sharp accusations by President Museveni during a victory address on Sunday, in which he alleged that sections of the opposition, including Kivumbi, plotted coordinated attacks on polling stations after losing parliamentary races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking from his Rwakitura residence in Kiruhura District, Museveni claimed that after Kivumbi\u2014who also serves as NUP\u2019s Deputy President for Central Uganda\u2014lost the Butambala County contest, groups armed with pangas attempted to carry out violent attacks. He said security forces shot dead seven people during the incident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat these people were planning is what happened in Butambala with Kivumbi. They were planning to do it all over,\u201d Museveni said, adding that intelligence agencies had warned of similar plots in other areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He further claimed that briefings at State Lodge Nakasero on January 13 had outlined the alleged plans. \u201cOf course we were ready to deal with them decisively,\u201d Museveni told senior ruling party officials and religious leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kivumbi was defeated by former journalist-turned-politician Eriasa Mukiibi in one of the most closely watched parliamentary races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In response, Kivumbi has strongly denied the accusations. In a video shared on social media on Saturday, he rejected Museveni\u2019s account and accused security forces of using excessive force. The footage showed bullet-riddled garage doors and shattered windows at what he said were his premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOut of panic, they carried away bodies to justify their rhetoric that they had killed them away from here,\u201d Kivumbi said, claiming that nearly 10 of his supporters were killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite the denial, Museveni doubled down on his claims on Sunday, issuing a warning to opposition figures. \u201cSo, all the traitors\u2026 this is free advice from me that stop what you\u2019re doing because we know everything and you will not do it. Either peacefully or unpeacefully, we shall maintain peace in Uganda,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The president also renewed allegations that some opposition actors were linked to foreign groups seeking to destabilize Uganda, including organizations he accused of promoting homosexuality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bobi Wine has dismissed Museveni\u2019s accusations, saying the president is acting on flawed intelligence. \u201cI don\u2019t look at Gen Museveni with anger. I look at him with pity,\u201d Kyagulanyi said in a New Year address on January 1. \u201cBy his age, he is being fed fake intelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Echoes of past cases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kivumbi\u2019s arrest has revived memories of the previous election cycle, when former MPs Muhammad Ssegirinya and Allan Ssewanyana were detained for more than 500 days on murder and terrorism charges linked to deadly panga violence in central Uganda. Ssegirinya later died, and the state dropped charges against him in March 2025, while Ssewanyana lost his seat in the January 15 election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Electoral Commission has declared Museveni winner of the January 15 presidential poll with 71.65 percent, extending his rule to nearly four decades. The election was conducted under an internet blackout and was marked by allegations of irregularities, biometric voter verification failures and heavy security deployment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Museveni\u2019s new term is due to begin in May 2026 if the results announced by EC chairperson Simon Byabakama stand, pending a court challenge.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Police have confirmed the arrest of Butambala County opposition lawmaker Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, days after President Yoweri Museveni publicly accused him of backing violent, panga-wielding attacks linked to post-election unrest. \u201cThe Uganda Police Force would like to confirm the arrest of the Butambala County legislator, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi. He is currently in police custody and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27983,"featured_media":41823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_paywall_metabox":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[356],"tags":[31,9695,119],"class_list":["post-41822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-big-story","tag-featured","tag-muhammad-muwanga-kivumbi","tag-uganda-news"],"yoast_head":"\n