The National Unity Platform (NUP), has strongly condemned the abduction of its Deputy President, Muwanga Kivumbi, describing the incident as a blatant violation of constitutional rights and due process.
In a statement issued following Friday’s incident in Mpigi, the party said Kivumbi was seized in full public view by armed, masked operatives despite the presence of police officers.
According to NUP, the legislator had just secured bail at the ICD court after spending over six months on remand at Kitalya Prison.
“The police was present as masked security operatives brandishing rifles pounced on Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi at a road block in Mpigi, bundled him into a waiting drone (Toyota Hiace) and whisked him away to an unknown destination,” the party said.
NUP argued that the manner of arrest violated Article 23 of Uganda’s Constitution, which guarantees the rights of suspects during arrest and detention.
These include the right to be informed of the reason for arrest, identification of the arresting authority, and detention in a gazetted facility within 48 hours.
The party further noted that detainees are entitled to legal representation, access to medical care, protection from torture, and the right to have family members notified—protections it claims were ignored in Kivumbi’s case.
“As has become the norm of late, none of these provisions were observed,” the statement added, warning that incommunicado detentions are increasingly becoming widespread.
The abduction has triggered fresh concerns among opposition groups and civil society actors over the shrinking civic space and alleged misuse of security agencies to target dissenting voices.
NUP has called for the immediate disclosure of Kivumbi’s whereabouts and his unconditional release, while urging both local and international human rights bodies to intervene.