Kampala, Uganda – Uganda has once again been thrust into the international spotlight following the revelations from opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine) about the gruesome torture of his long-time bodyguard, Eddie Mutwe while in incommunicado military detention.
Bobi Wine described Mutwe’s ordeal as “barbaric beyond comprehension”, accusing state operatives and alarmingly the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba of personally participating in the abuse.
“He is alive, that’s the only good news,” Bobi Wine wrote. “But what was done to him is nothing short of evil.”
Bobi Wine, who visited Masaka Main Prison today alongside Mutwe’s mother, wife and 8-month-old baby detailed the alleged methods of torture inflicted on Mutwe and three other opposition members including Achileo Kivumbi, Mugumya Gaddafi and Wakabi Grace.
Among the shocking allegations was the electrocution and waterboarding with a cloth tied tightly around Mutwe’s neck, flogging four times daily with beatings focused on his feet until they swelled, violent squeezing of his genitals using batons, forced nudity, mockery, and photos taken in degrading conditions, verbal abuse and beatings for not understanding Runyakore, the president’s native language.
In a ridiculous performance of psychological warfare, Eddie Mutwe was allegedly forced to kneel at gunpoint, don a T-shirt with Museveni’s image and swear loyalty to both Museveni and his son while being filmed.
Bobi Wine claims that Gen. Muhoozi, who is widely seen as Museveni’s heir-apparent, visited Mutwe on the third day of detention and taunted him, telling him to fight back if he believed he was strong while Mutwe was in chains.
“This isn’t just state brutality. This is calculated humiliation, aimed at crushing the soul of the opposition.”
Eddie Mutwe’s story is not an isolated incident. Human rights organizations have repeatedly flagged Uganda for arbitrary arrests, torture in safe houses and the targeted persecution of opposition members.
Meanwhile, calls for urgent medical attention and immediate release of the detained comrades are mounting, with growing online campaigns under hashtags like #FreeEddieMutwe.
During the prison visit, Mutwe normally patient broke down in front of his family, unable to continue describing the extent of his suffering. His wife clutched their infant son and his mother wept silently as Bobi Wine relayed what her son had endured.
“He should not be in jail,” Bobi Wine insisted. “He should be in a hospital healing, not being punished for surviving.”
This revelation comes at a time when Uganda is under growing scrutiny for its human rights record especially after the 2021 elections that saw widespread detentions, internet blackouts and violence against opposition members.
With presidential elections looming in 2026, critics argue the regime is resorting to fear tactics to silence dissent and Eddie Mutwe’s suffering is a painful symbol of that repression.
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