Police confirmed the arrest of opposition legislator Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi on Thursday. This action follows accusations made days earlier by President Yoweri Museveni, who alleged that the lawmaker supported violent attacks by assailants armed with machetes, which the president labeled as terrorist acts connected to post-election instability.
In a short statement, a regional police spokesperson confirmed that the Butambala County MP is in custody and will be brought to court. The arrest occurs amid heightened scrutiny over the handling of opposition members during the current election period.
National Unity Party (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, known as Bobi Wine, has claimed that hundreds of party supporters and two senior officials have been forcibly disappeared over the past week as part of an escalating government crackdown. Authorities have not publicly addressed these allegations.
Kivumbi’s detention stems from remarks President Museveni made during a Sunday address, in which he accused certain opposition figures, including Kivumbi, of orchestrating coordinated assaults on polling stations after they lost parliamentary races in the recent General Election. Speaking from his residence, Museveni asserted that after Kivumbi’s electoral defeat in Butambala County, groups armed with machetes attempted to carry out violent attacks. He stated that security forces killed seven people during the incident and claimed that intelligence agencies had uncovered similar planned attacks elsewhere.
Kivumbi, who lost his parliamentary seat, has publicly rejected the president’s version of events. In a video circulated online, he accused security forces of using excessive force, displaying property damage from gunfire, and alleged that nearly ten of his supporters were killed.
In his Sunday speech, Museveni reiterated his accusations and issued a direct warning to opposition actors, vowing to maintain peace “either peacefully or unpeacefully.” He also repeated claims that some opposition elements were collaborating with foreign groups seeking to destabilize Uganda.
Opposition leader Bobi Wine has dismissed the allegations, suggesting the president is acting on incorrect intelligence. This situation echoes past cases from the previous election cycle, where opposition MPs were detained for extended periods on terrorism charges related to machete violence.
The arrest follows a presidential election held under an internet blackout and amid widespread reports of irregularities. The electoral commission declared Museveni the winner, securing a term that would extend his rule to nearly four decades, pending any successful legal challenges.
