Just hours after walking out of prison on bail, National Unity Platform (NUP) vice president for Buganda and former Butambala MP Muwanga Kivumbi ignited fresh political controversy by delivering a fiery speech in which he launched personal attacks against members of Uganda’s First Family and vowed to intensify the opposition’s campaign against President Yoweri Museveni’s government.
Speaking to hundreds of supporters who gathered at his ancestral home in Butambala on Wednesday night, Kivumbi declared that detention had only strengthened his resolve to challenge the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM).
“I have no time to rest,” Kivumbi told the jubilant crowd in Luganda. “I am going to our headquarters in Kampala to declare a new war against this regime. By the time our president (Bobi Wine) returns, he will find a stronger foundation than ever before. Prison has not weakened me—it has made me stronger. The only way I can repay all those who stood with me is by continuing the fight.”
Attacks First Family
The rally took an even more controversial turn when Kivumbi made remarks directed at members of the First Family, including President Museveni, First Lady Janet Museveni and Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The speech quickly turned into a scathing attack on the First Family. According to a verified recording of the address, Kivumbi referred to First Lady Janet Museveni by saying: “She is gone. The Almighty helped us and took her away. She is all gone.” He also targeted Chief of Defence Forces Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, saying: “Do you know who is left? The drunkard called Gen. Muhoozi. That one is simple. We shall get him through his corrupt tendencies.He became CDF without a record of winning any battle. Our soldiers died at your (editor. Muhoozi) his hands in the DRC jungles. You failed to protect their lives.”
Kivumbi further questioned the funding of the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU), accusing it of benefiting from corruption.
“NRM is synonymous with corruption, and PLU is the offspring of that corruption. If you fight corruption with corruption, you only create more corruption. If Muhoozi truly believes in accountability, let him explain where the money funding PLU comes from. And if he believes in the rule of law, let him also explain how his involvement in partisan politics complies with the Constitution.”
Throughout the speech, supporters repeatedly interrupted him with chants and applause as he vowed that the opposition would continue mobilising against the ruling party despite arrests and prosecutions.”You can kill me, but you will never finish us,” Kivumbi declared. “We are coming for you. Don’t mind how many battles they have won against you. Keep fighting because victory will surely come.”
Kivumbi also revisited the circumstances surrounding the security operation that culminated in his arrest, alleging that more people died than officially acknowledged.”They fired bullets into the garage believing I was inside. They asked who Muwanga Kivumbi was. One man stood up and said, ‘It is me,’ and they shot him on the spot,” he claimed.
From prison to political battlefield
Kivumbi was only hours earlier released on bail by the International Crimes Division of the High Court after spending weeks on remand on treason-related charges alongside several co-accused.His release was celebrated by NUP supporters who thronged his ancestral home, waving party flags and chanting slogans in solidarity with the opposition leader.
Instead of striking a conciliatory tone, however, Kivumbi used the occasion to reaffirm his commitment to confronting the government.Supporters repeatedly interrupted his address with chants of “People Power! Our Power!” as he promised to resume mobilisation activities across the country.
Questions over strategy
The speech has since divided opinion among political commentators. Some opposition supporters described Kivumbi’s combative posture as evidence that imprisonment had failed to intimidate him. Others warned that the fiery rhetoric could complicate his legal situation and hand authorities grounds for further investigations.
One political commentator questioned whether the new approach would strengthen or weaken the opposition.
“Politics requires strategy as much as courage,” the analyst argued. “Not every battle has to be fought through public confrontation. Sometimes the loudest statements create headlines but also create legal and political complications.”The commentator added that repeatedly taking on Gen. Muhoozi directly could either energise NUP supporters or become an unnecessary distraction from the party’s broader political agenda.
Kivumbi recounts night of violence
During the same gathering, Kivumbi revisited the security operation that led to his arrest, insisting more people died than officially acknowledged.
“They fired bullets into the garage believing I was inside,” he told supporters.
“They asked, ‘Who is Muwanga Kivumbi?’ One man stood up and said, ‘It is me,’ and they shot him on the spot.”
Kivumbi further alleged that the number of people killed exceeded the official account.”The people who died were ten, not seven as they claimed. The other three bodies were their fellow officers. That is why they removed clothes from all the bodies so that nobody would realise they had also killed their own people,” he claimed.
Those allegations have not been independently verified, and authorities have previously provided their own account of the operation.
Activists rally behind Kivumbi
Several opposition activists welcomed Kivumbi’s release and insisted that his detention had failed to silence government critics.Supporters at the rally repeatedly praised him for what they described as his resilience.
One activist told fellow supporters that prison had transformed rather than intimidated the opposition leader. “They wanted to silence him, but instead they have given him an even bigger platform,” the activist said. Another supporter insisted the struggle against what he called political persecution would continue regardless of arrests.
“We are not giving up. Every arrest only strengthens our resolve to fight for change,” the activist declared. The speeches were met with loud applause from the crowd, many of whom had travelled from neighbouring districts to witness Kivumbi’s return.
Fresh political headache?
Kivumbi’s latest remarks are likely to fuel another round of political debate at a time when Uganda’s political environment remains highly polarised ahead of the next electoral cycle.Security agencies are expected to review recordings of the rally, particularly comments concerning the Head of State, the First Family and the military leadership.
Whether the speech results in further legal action remains to be seen, but it has already reignited tensions between the opposition and the establishment.
For Kivumbi, however, the message to his supporters was unmistakable.Rather than retreat after his release from prison, the former Butambala legislator says he intends to return to the political trenches immediately.
“I have nothing else to pay you with except continuing the struggle,” he declared as supporters erupted into cheers.As the dust settles on his dramatic homecoming, one thing is certain: Kivumbi’s return has reopened another fierce chapter in Uganda’s increasingly heated political contest.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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Directly taking on Muhoozi or Directly talking on Muhoozi?