Former Butambala County Member of Parliament and National Unity Platform (NUP) Deputy President for Buganda, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, was absent from court as the State admitted it could not establish his current whereabouts.Kivumbi was expected to appear before the Butambala Chief Magistrate’s Court alongside more than 20 other suspects facing terrorism-related charges.
His absence led prosecutors to ask the court to issue criminal summons requiring him to attend future proceedings.State Attorney Salam Nabbosa told Chief Magistrate Deogracious Ssejjemba that all the other accused persons had appeared, but the prosecution had been unable to locate Kivumbi or confirm why he was not present.The request for summons was strongly opposed by Kivumbi’s lawyers, who argued that their client was believed to be in state custody following reports that he was arrested by security operatives last week.
Defence lawyers Samuel Muyizzi and Kenneth Paul Kakande told court that they had spent several days trying to trace Kivumbi after his reported arrest, questioning how the government could claim not to know his location while at the same time seeking summons against him.The lawyers said the matter raised serious concerns, especially since Kivumbi was listed as the first accused person in the case. His surety and relative, Fatuma Lutaaya, was also present during the court session.
Chief Magistrate Ssejjemba declined to grant the prosecution’s request for criminal summons and instead adjourned the case to August 20 for further mention as uncertainty over Kivumbi’s whereabouts continued.Kivumbi was reportedly arrested on July 10 in Mpigi District while travelling from his home in Butambala to Kampala. His legal team has since filed an application for a writ of habeas corpus before the High Court in Kampala, seeking an order compelling authorities to present him before court.
