The Uganda Police has arrested Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi over the recent election violence seen in the district.
The Police has confirmed the arrest of the National Unity Platform (NUP) member in a brief statement on their X account on Thursday morning, noting that he would be arraigned before the courts of law soon.
“The Uganda Police Force would like to confirm the arrest of the Butambala County legislator, Hon. Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi. He is currently in police custody and will be arraigned before court in due course” the statement read.
“His arrest is in connection with recent incidents of political violence in Butambala” the Police added.
The confirmation followed earlier reports from NUP officials and supporters that Kivumbi had been picked up by security personnel at about 6:50 a.m., with no immediate information on where he had been taken.
While receiving the official declaration of presidential election results at Rwakitura on Sunday, President Yoweri Museveni accused the members of the National Unity Platform of planning to carry out violence after losing the elections.
“In Butambala, a character called Kivumbi was defeated. Then they planned that where NUP is defeated, gangs with panga’s should attack the polling station” he said.
Museveni alleged that attackers armed with pangas attempted to carry out assaults in the district, prompting a security response in which seven suspected attackers were shot dead.
He further revealed that security agencies had received intelligence suggesting that similar attacks were planned in other parts of the country.
However, he said the situation was contained after some opposition members reportedly declined to take part and instead alerted him during a meeting at State Lodge Nakasero on January 13.
The NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya has since condemned Kivumbi’s arrest saying it reflects a growing disregard for the rule of law by security agencies.
“With the arrest of Muwanga Kivumbi, this brings to three the number of the National Unity Platform deputy presidents currently in detention. A crazy season” Rubongoya posted on his X handle.
Other NUP leaders in custody are Lina Zedriga, the Deputy President for Northern Uganda and Jolly Tukamushaba, the party’s Deputy President for Western Uganda.
