The Butambala Grade One Magistrate’s Court has barred the media from reporting, covering or livestreaming proceedings in the case against former Butambala County MP and National Unity Platform (NUP) Deputy President for Buganda, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi.
The restriction follows an application by the prosecution seeking to stop media houses from livestreaming proceedings in the case, which has attracted significant public and political interest.
The court had earlier scheduled Tuesday, August 25, 2026, to deliver a ruling on Kivumbi’s bail application and the State’s request to restrict live media coverage of the proceedings.
Kivumbi is facing charges of incitement to violence and managing an unlawful society, which the prosecution alleges were committed on July 9, 2026, at Bugoye Village in Gombe Town Council, Butambala District.
According to the charge sheet, the prosecution alleges that Kivumbi, while addressing a public gathering, incited members of the public to commit acts of violence against government officials and urged them to support efforts to overthrow the Government.
He is also accused, together with other suspects who are still at large, of organising, encouraging and supporting members of the public to rise against and unlawfully overthrow the Government.
Kivumbi denied the charges when he appeared before Grade One Magistrate Amina Wahab on July 29 and was subsequently remanded to Kitalya Prison.
The latest case came shortly after Kivumbi secured a UGX10 million cash bail from the International Crimes Division of the High Court in a separate case, in which he and 23 others face terrorism-related charges linked to violence and deaths recorded in Butambala during the January 2026 general elections.
Kivumbi was arrested on January 22 and was granted bail on July 9. However, a day after his release, he was re-arrested and allegedly held incommunicado from July 10 until July 29, when he was arraigned before the magistrates’ court in Mpigi and subsequently remanded to Kitalya Prison.
The court’s decision to restrict media coverage means proceedings in the latest case will not be livestreamed or openly covered by the media.
By Edith Namwanje