Police Arrest Butambala MP Muwanga Kivumbi Over Election Violence

The Uganda Police Force has arrested Hon. Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, the Member of Parliament for Butambala County, in connection with incidents of political violence that occurred during the Presidential and Parliamentary elections on January 15.

According to Lydia Tumushabe, the Katonga Regional Police Spokesperson, Kivumbi is currently in police custody following violent incidents reported at his residence on polling day.

Reports indicate that during the elections, several of Kivumbi’s supporters who had gathered at his home were shot and killed, others sustained injuries, while some were arrested by security operatives under circumstances that remain unclear.

Speaking to the media, Kivumbi said his residence had been used as a tally centre for his parliamentary votes and those of his party’s presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi. He explained that among those who were killed, injured, or arrested were his polling agents returning Declaration of Results (DR) forms, as well as individuals who had come to collect their wages after working throughout the day.

“There were many people at my house, including supporters who had heard that we had won the election. As we prepared to go to the district with our DR forms to confirm the results, we suddenly heard gunshots being fired outside the house for over 30 minutes. Later, they knocked on the door, demanding that I be produced. When they failed to break it down, they started shooting at the garage where most people were hiding. By the time they forced their way in, several people had been killed,” Kivumbi narrated.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Abas Byakagaba confirmed that seven people were killed during the incident but alleged that the victims were not residents of Butambala District.

“We ended up with an unfortunate situation where seven lives were lost and others were arrested. These individuals were not from Butambala; they were allegedly hired and transported there by Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi. Causing the death of any person is unacceptable, and we shall ensure that justice is served,” said Byakagaba.

There were also allegations from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) camp that Kivumbi had hired individuals to carry out violence against them.

In his victory speech on January 18, President Yoweri Museveni accused Kivumbi’s camp of attempting to attack a polling station using pangas, an act he said led to the deaths.

“Some of our opposition members are wrong but not terrorists. Some of them are wrong and terrorists. In Butambala, a character called Kivumbi was defeated. Then they planned that where NUP is defeated, gangs with pangas should attack polling stations. That is what they did. When Kivumbi was defeated, they came with pangas and tried to attack a polling station, and seven of them were shot dead,” President Museveni said.

Police further confirmed that 24 people who were arrested in connection with the incident were arraigned before court on January 20, 2026.

Kivumbi becomes the third Deputy Vice President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) to be arrested, following the earlier arrests of Lina Zedriga and Jolly Jacklyn Tukamushaba.

According to Tumushabe, Kivumbi is expected to be arraigned before court in due course.