Opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu has intensified pressure on Ugandan authorities following the alleged abduction of Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, saying his whereabouts remain unknown four days after the incident.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, July 14, the National Unity Platform president described the incident as a “televised abduction” carried out by armed men in plain clothes, allegedly working alongside police and traffic officers.
“Four days have passed since the televised abduction of our Deputy President for the Buganda Region, Hon. Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, by gun-wielding men in plain clothes, aided by Uganda police and traffic officers,” Kyagulanyi said.
“To this day, his whereabouts remain unknown.”
Kivumbi was reportedly intercepted last Friday in Mpigi District, shortly after securing bail, and forcibly taken away in an unmarked vehicle.
The circumstances surrounding the operation have drawn widespread concern from opposition figures and legal bodies.
Kyagulanyi faulted both the police and military for failing to provide information on Kivumbi’s detention, accusing security agencies of disregarding the rule of law.
“The police and the military have refused to account for him,” he stated.
The opposition leader also criticised what he termed as silence from sections of religious and cultural leadership, warning that such inaction risks legitimising unlawful conduct.
“Equally disturbing is the silence of many religious and cultural leaders in the face of such blatant lawlessness, thereby normalizing it,” he added.
The case has further heightened tensions between the government and opposition, with rights groups raising alarm over a pattern of enforced disappearances targeting political actors.