Kivumbi’s bail hearing adjourned as prosecutors attend symposium

The bail hearing for former Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi and 24 co-accused was adjourned to June 1 after state prosecutors said they were attending the Annual Prosecutors’ Symposium in Kampala.

The three-day symposium, running at Hotel Africana under the theme “Enhancing Professionalism for Responsive Prosecution Services,” has drawn prosecutors from across the country.

The accused, remanded at Kitalya Mini Max Prison, Naguru Remand Home, and Luzira Women’s Prison, were due to appear before Justice Susan Okalany at the International Crimes Division of the High Court to seek temporary release pending trial.

Court was told that several prosecutors handling the case were at the symposium, prompting the adjournment.

Kivumbi, who also serves as NUP vice president for Central Uganda, was arrested on January 21, 2026, and later charged in the Chief Magistrates Court in Butambala with terrorism offences under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

His co-accused were initially charged with incitement to violence and malicious damage to property following arrests between January 14 and 20, 2026. The prosecution later amended the charge sheet to jointly charge all suspects with terrorism-related offences.

In their joint bail application, the accused argue they have spent months on remand without being committed to the High Court for trial, while the prosecution cites ongoing investigations.

“The applicants have on several occasions appeared before the Chief Magistrates Court of Butambala but have not yet been committed for trial and no hearing date has been fixed and the matter is characterised by procrastination on account of ongoing investigations,” court documents state.

The applicants contend that the offence is only triable by the High Court and is therefore bailable by that court.

In an affidavit, Kivumbi described himself as a law-abiding citizen with strong community ties and no prior convictions.

“I have good antecedents, with no criminal record of conviction, and I am a law-abiding citizen who not only upholds the rule of law but a fervent and ardent defender of the same,” he stated.

He told court he has homes in Wakiso and Butambala districts and would comply with any bail conditions.

“I undertake to abide by all bail conditions that this Honourable Court may impose and I will not abscond from trial,” Kivumbi said.

The former MP also said his continued detention had affected his public and political work. He served Butambala County in Parliament for 15 years and once chaired Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE).

The defence presented Leader of Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi and NUP Secretary General David Lewis Rubongoya as proposed sureties, arguing all applicants have permanent addresses and substantial sureties.

“It is in the interest of justice, fairness, and the constitutional doctrine of presumption of innocence that the applicants be granted bail,” the application states.

According to prosecution, the charges stem from alleged attacks on Kibibi Police Station and the Butambala Electoral Commission tally centre between January 11 and 17, 2026, in Gombe and Kibibi Town Council. Prosecutors allege Kivumbi and others still at large orchestrated the attacks to intimidate the government for political or economic purposes. The incidents reportedly left seven people dead.