Not Yet Free: NUP’s Muwanga Kivumbi Re-Arrested Hours After Bail, Raising Fresh Questions Over Uganda’s Criminal Justice System
+256 702 239 337: A court granted him liberty. Hours later, security operatives took it away again—raising difficult questions about the relationship between judicial decisions and law enforcement.
UgandaToday: Not Yet Free: NUP’s Muwanga Kivumbi Re-Arrested Hours After Bail, Raising Fresh Questions Over Uganda’s Criminal Justice System
By Chris M. Kato | UgandaToday
The political storm surrounding National Unity Platform (NUP) Vice President for Buganda, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, intensified on Friday after security operatives dramatically re-arrested him only hours after he had walked out of court on bail, prompting renewed criticism from the opposition over what it describes as the weaponisation of the criminal justice system.
The latest arrest has once again thrust Uganda’s tense political environment into the spotlight, with NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) condemning the move as proof that security agencies are frustrating court decisions and undermining the constitutional right to liberty.
According to reports from NUP leaders and eyewitnesses, Kivumbi was intercepted at a security roadblock in Mpigi District while travelling home following his release from the International Crimes Division of the High Court, where Justice Susan Okalany had granted him bail after nearly five months on remand. Authorities had not immediately issued a detailed explanation for the fresh arrest by the time of publication.
Kyagulanyi: “This Is Political Persecution”
NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu condemned the re-arrest of his deputy in a strongly worded statement issued shortly after news of the incident emerged.
Kyagulanyi wrote:
“I’ve just been informed of the violent abduction of my Deputy President for Buganda Region, Hon. Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, shortly after he was released on bail yesterday.
The criminal regime is doing all this to instill fear within the population, but these tactics have been employed by despots all over the world and throughout history. They never win in the end! UGANDA WILL BE FREE.”
The remarks reflect the National Unity Platform’s position that the re-arrest was politically motivated. Ugandan authorities had not publicly responded to Kyagulanyi’s characterization of the incident at the time of publication, nor had they issued a detailed explanation for the fresh arrest.
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From Bail to Handcuffs in Less Than 24 Hours
On Thursday, the International Crimes Division of the High Court granted bail to Kivumbi after ruling that his sureties were substantial.
The court ordered him to pay Shs10 million cash bail, while more than twenty co-accused were each granted cash bail of Shs1 million. Their sureties were bonded accordingly, and the court imposed standard bail conditions, including restrictions on foreign travel without prior court approval.
Celebrations erupted outside court as supporters welcomed the decision, believing one of the opposition’s senior leaders had finally regained his freedom after months in custody.
Those celebrations would prove short-lived.
The Case That Put Kivumbi Behind Bars
Kivumbi has been facing terrorism-related charges arising from violent incidents that occurred in Butambala District during the tense aftermath of Uganda’s January 2026 general elections.
Prosecutors allege that between January 11 and January 15, attacks on Kibibi Police Station and a polling centre resulted in the deaths of seven people.
Kivumbi and his co-accused have consistently denied the allegations.
The opposition legislator has maintained that the victims were supporters who were killed during a security operation at his residence rather than attackers as alleged by authorities.
That conflicting account has remained one of the most contentious aspects of the case.
The Night That Changed Everything
The criminal proceedings trace their roots to one of the bloodiest episodes following Uganda’s January elections.
Security forces and police maintained that armed groups linked to opposition supporters attempted to attack Kibibi Police Station and election facilities, forcing officers to open fire in self-defence.
Kivumbi, however, has consistently disputed that narrative.
He insists that heavily armed security personnel raided his home in Butambala in the early hours of the morning, killing several people gathered there before carrying away bodies and arresting dozens of supporters.
International media, including Reuters, the Associated Press and The Guardian, reported sharply differing accounts from government officials and the opposition regarding the circumstances surrounding those deaths, underscoring the highly contested nature of the incident.
Pattern of Re-Arrests?
The re-arrest has revived debate over what lawyers describe as the increasingly common practice of rearresting suspects immediately after courts grant them bail.
Legal observers have argued that although fresh arrests are lawful where new investigations or offences exist, repeatedly arresting individuals immediately after judicial release can raise concerns about respect for judicial independence and the practical enjoyment of the constitutional right to bail.
Government agencies have previously maintained that arrests are based on ongoing investigations and lawful procedures.
Political Implications
For NUP supporters, Friday’s developments reinforce longstanding claims that senior opposition leaders are being subjected to continuous legal pressure.
Government officials, on the other hand, have consistently maintained that criminal investigations are conducted without regard to political affiliation and that anyone suspected of criminal conduct must answer before the law.
As of Friday evening, security agencies had yet to publicly explain the precise legal basis for Kivumbi’s latest arrest or indicate where he was being detained.
A Case Uganda Will Continue Watching
The dramatic turn of events ensures that Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi’s legal battle remains one of Uganda’s most closely watched political cases.
Whether the latest arrest stems from fresh investigations or forms part of the existing proceedings is likely to become a central question in the coming days as lawyers, political actors and human rights defenders scrutinise the state’s next move.
For now, what had briefly appeared to be the end of nearly five months in detention has instead opened yet another chapter in a case that continues to test the intersection between politics, criminal justice and constitutional freedoms in Uganda.
“A court granted him liberty. Hours later, security operatives took it away again—raising difficult questions about the relationship between judicial decisions and law enforcement.”
