The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs (MODVA) has told the High Court that opposition legislator Muwanga Kivumbi is not in military custody, as pressure mounts on security agencies to account for the whereabouts of former Butambala County MP.
In a sworn affidavit filed in response to an application for a writ of habeas corpus, Lt. Col. Edgar Musasizi said the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) had conducted checks across all its officially gazetted detention facilities and found no record of Kivumbi being held.
“I have personally cross checked with all gazetted detention facilities under the control of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and confirm that the Applicant is not and has never been in custody of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces at any material time,” the affidavit states.
The military further argued that the applicant had not presented evidence demonstrating that Kivumbi was in the custody of the UPDF or the First Respondent, adding that the legal application lacked merit.
The affidavit comes after the Uganda Police Force also reportedly told the court that it had no knowledge of the opposition MP’s whereabouts.
The military’s denial has been met with scepticism from opposition figures, who insist the explanations offered by security agencies do not align with publicly circulated videos of Kivumbi’s arrest.
Patrick Ssekabira, a political commentator, questioned the government’s account in a post on X.
“Yet widely shared footage appears to show Police intercepting him in Mpigi before armed men in military attire took him away. If the UPDF says it doesn’t have him and doesn’t abduct people, then who took him?” he wrote.
Earlier, National Unity Platform (NUP) Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya also criticised the security agencies’ denials, arguing that similar statements had been made in previous cases involving missing government critics before some individuals later resurfaced in state custody.
High Court is considering an application for a writ of habeas corpus, a legal mechanism requiring authorities to produce a person alleged to be unlawfully detained and justify the detention.
In its response, the UPDF argues that such an order can only be granted where there is credible evidence that the individual is being held by the respondent.
Military maintains that no such evidence has been presented and says it has never detained Kivumbi.
Despite the court filings by both the military and the police, Kivumbi’s whereabouts remain unknown.
His disappearance has drawn growing concern from opposition politicians, lawyers and supporters, who continue to demand that security agencies account for him.
As legal proceedings continue, the central question remains unanswered: where is Muwanga Kivumbi?
Neither the Uganda Police Force nor the Ministry of Defence has announced any investigation into the circumstances surrounding his disappearance, and no other security agency has publicly claimed responsibility for his arrest or detention.
