Butambala, Uganda — The National Unity Platform (NUP) Deputy President for Buganda and Butambala County Member of Parliament, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, has been remanded to prison after being charged with terrorism by the Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court.
Kivumbi appeared in court on Friday, 23 January 2026, where he was charged with terrorism contrary to Section 6(1)(a) and Section 3(o) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, Cap 120, following his arrest on Thursday, 22 January 2026.
According to the prosecution, led by Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Rachael Bikhole, Kivumbi and others still at large allegedly coordinated and carried out a series of violent attacks between 11 and 17 January 2026 in Kibibi Town Council and Gombe Town Council in Butambala District.
Prosecutors told court that the alleged attacks were linked to recent incidents of political violence in the district, which security agencies have associated with the legislator.
The case comes amid heightened political tensions following Uganda’s general elections. While receiving the official declaration of presidential election results at Rwakitura on Sunday, President Yoweri Museveni accused members of the National Unity Platform of planning violent actions after losing the elections.
“In Butambala, a character called Kivumbi was defeated. Then they planned that where NUP is defeated, gangs with pangas should attack polling stations,” Museveni said.
The President alleged that armed attackers attempted to carry out assaults in the district, prompting a security response in which seven suspected attackers were shot dead. He further claimed that intelligence reports indicated similar attacks had been planned in other parts of the country.
However, Museveni said the situation was later contained after some opposition members reportedly declined to participate in the violence and instead alerted him during a meeting at State Lodge Nakasero on 13 January.
In response, Kivumbi has denied the allegations. In a video shared earlier this week, he accused security forces of raiding his home at night following Thursday’s general elections and shooting dead several members of his campaign team.
“They were killed inside my house. I was the target. They were looking for me,” Kivumbi said.
He added that the incident occurred as vote tallying was ongoing at the district tally centre, forcing people at his residence to flee for safety. A video recorded the following morning reportedly shows bullet holes in the doors and walls of his home.
The court remanded MP Kivumbi to prison until 3 February 2026, when he is expected to return for further hearing of the case.
