Justice Acellam therefore ordered the respondents to conclude investigations into Muwanga Kivumbi’s whereabouts and file an affidavit setting out the outcome of those investigations within seven days.
The High Court in Kampala has directed security agencies to conclude investigations into the whereabouts of former Butambala County Member of Parliament, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, before it considers issuing a writ of habeas corpus.
In a ruling delivered on July 22, 2026, Justice Collins Acellam ordered the respondents—the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), the Inspector General of Police (IGP), and the Attorney General—to establish the applicant’s whereabouts and report back to court within seven days.
The application, filed under the Human Rights (Enforcement) Act and the Judicature (Habeas Corpus) Rules, seeks an order compelling the authorities to produce Muwanga Kivumbi before court and secure his unconditional release from detention.
According to court documents, the applicant alleges that Muwanga Kivumbi was abducted by unidentified military operatives on July 10, 2026, at a police checkpoint in Mpigi shortly after being granted bail by the High Court. The application claims the operatives neither identified themselves nor produced an arrest warrant, and that he has not been presented before any competent court. It further alleges that his whereabouts remain unknown and that he has been held incommunicado without access to his family, lawyers, or a physician.
During earlier proceedings on July 17, the respondents requested more time to investigate the applicant’s whereabouts before responding to the application.
When the matter returned to court on July 21, the only affidavit filed on behalf of the respondents was sworn by ACP Tumugumye Godwin, who stated that Muwanga Kivumbi was not in the custody of the Uganda Police Force and was not being held at any police facility. Counsel for the respondents also informed the court that investigations were still underway to establish his whereabouts.
In his ruling, Justice Acellam noted that the material before the court indicated that the applicant’s whereabouts remained unknown and that there was no evidence he was in police custody.
The judge explained that the purpose of a writ of habeas corpus is to compel the person or authority detaining an individual to produce them before court. He observed that issuing such an order would be ineffective at this stage if the court could not identify the person or authority responsible for the applicant’s detention.
Justice Acellam therefore ordered the respondents to conclude investigations into Muwanga Kivumbi’s whereabouts and file an affidavit setting out the outcome of those investigations within seven days.
The case has been adjourned to July 29, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. for further mention and hearing, when the court is expected to consider the respondents’ findings before determining the next course of action.
