NEWS ANALYSIS

Nalufenya torture latest

After mayor released quietly,
21 victims accuse security
By Haggai Matsiko
On Sept.06, prison authorities denied
The ping pong being played by security authorities in handling experts from the African Centre for the
the case involving over 20 suspects charged with the murder of Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture
AIGP Felix Kaweesi, his body guard and driver, has renewed con- Victims (ACTV) access to examine some
of the suspects. As a result, Rwakafuzi
cerns of human rights observers. The latest controversy involves spent Sunday evening holed up in his
WKHUHOHDVHIROORZLQJDYHPRQWKGHWHQWLRQZLWKRXWWULDORIIRUPHU 

Kamwenge Mayor, Godfrey Byamukama, who made news in April Road planning on how to beat this lat-
est huddle.
over the severe torture that police meted out on him. The said examina-

T
tion, Rwakafuzi
explained, was
he case of Byamukama, who over four counts; terrorism, two counts of ordered by court
has been released with no murder and aggravated robbery. as it is critical to
single charge, became public Some of them have sued the govern- prove the torture
when gruesome pictures ment for allegedly abusing their human allegations.
emerged during the Easter rights. Their case is being handled Rwakafuzi
season, days after he had by renowned human
been arrested, showing his deep wounds rights lawyer Laudislaus
on kneecaps, which appeared like they Rwakafuzi.
had been drilled and scooped of fresh Both cases are in
that revealed the full extent of the torture. the initial stages but
Critics are alarmed that police quietly Rwakafuzi says he is
released Byamukama with no single already frustrated
explanation to the public and no public by what he calls
apology to him after severely torturing
him to confess to the murder of Kaweesi.
Kaweesi and his body guard Kenneth
 
murdered on March 17 when assailants
riding on motorbikes waylaid them and
sprayed bullets into the car they were
driving in.
In the days and months that followed,
police and the Chieftance of Military
Intelligence (CMI) carried out unprec-
edented operations, arresting, and tortur-
ing scores in a bid to force them to con-
fess to the murders.
At least 21 of these suspects are
being held in Luzira Maximum
Security Prison in Kampala

Former Mayor
Godfrey
Byamukama

14 Sept 15 - 21 , 2017

told The Independent that court had on
Aug. 31 given an order for experts to
examine the suspects who say they were
tortured. But when ACTV wrote to the
prison authorities seeking permission to
access the suspects, prison authorities
denied them access. The denial came in

allowed to examine and compile a report.
They would only be allowed in to observe
as the prison authorities examined the
suspects. The report from the examina-
tion would go to the prison authorities
and not court. ACTV was supposed to
submit its report to lawyers the same day
The response from the prison authori-
ties was surprising because, Rwakafuzi
said, it was a violation of a court order
and a contradiction on their part. The
prison authorities had just a few weeks
before allowed ACTV to access and
examine suspects following another
court order.
In a June 21 application to court, their
lawyers demanded that court declares
that the suspects were tortured, that
their continued detention was unconsti-
-
erty was also unconstitutional and also
asked court to allow experts to examine
The prisons authorities allowed ACTV
to examine 19 suspects and their reports,
which The Independent has seen, con-
Some of the suspects experience sleep
disorders, have intense headache, lac-
erations, body pains, others cannot walk
without clutches and others cannot hold
with two hands because of the torture.
But it is results of the psychological
evaluations that are more disturbing.
All the evaluations reveal severe
- and parliament to launch an investiga-
sistent with general physiological con-
sequences of traumatic exposure. All of
the reports also show that the suspects
Prisons Spokesperson denied that the
When other suspects three suspects
heard about these examinations and the
purpose behind themto be submit-
ted to court to show torturethey also
requested to be examined. The victims
are; Ayub Sauda, Kalyango Gibriel and
Yusuf Nyanzi.
Rwakafuzi says he suspects the prison
authorities are trying to protect the other
government institutions who are respon-
sible for the torture of these suspects.
charged and should therefore be deemed
Court had said it was in the interest of
government that these suspects are exam-
ined as this would either absolve them or
show that indeed as they suspects allege
they were tortured, Rwakafuzi said,
but now the prison authorities have
about Byamukama.

The late Felix Kaweesi
There are many,
many people
being tortured,
one report reads
in part, It is
possible some
could be maimed
totally or even
dead
blocked the process. We have informed

However, Frank Baine, the Uganda
Kale Kayihura, Museveni warned against
the use of torture to extract confessions
 from suspects.
order for 19 suspects with a list of the
said 19 and they were allowed to examine
them, Baine told The Independent on
Sept.11, Then later they returned and
said let us examine these other three.
That is where the problem was because
you cannot examine these others without
another court order.
had now been resolved. The OC says he
has received the new order and they are
now free to come and examine the oth-
ers.
As we interviewed Rwakafuzi, around
the same time, police had just released
NEWS ANALYSIS
Byamukama, who elements in police
of torture that nearly claimed his life
before he was rushed to Nakasero hospi-
tal. Rwakafuzi was equally disturbed that
police had not come out to confess, apolo-
gise, and tell the public they were wrong
This kind of impunity by the authori-
ties subverts justice, Rwakafuzi told The
Independent, It is absurd that those who
are supposed to ensure justice are the
ones subverting it.
To make the case of the impact of tor-
ture on these victims, Rwakafuzi said,
have healed but the psychological pain
lingers onthe reason it is very critical to
examine victims like him.
The public only became aware of the
scale of the torture by the army and
police when Rwakafuzi carried out an
investigation and exposed the torture
meted out on the other suspects13 of
them. Images of the torture soon popped
up on social media. The number of vic-
tims has since jumped to 21.
The suspects told Rwakafuzi that the
torture was still on-going at the Chief-
tance of Military Intelligence (CMI), at
Kireka and Nalufenya.
At Kireka, the investigation revealed
that one Ddamulira Swaleh Kimuli
has broken legs, Uthman Mugoya and
Bawooli Mugoya, are also being tortured.
At Nalufenya, it added, Sulaiman
Mudeya, Hussein Kigumba and Kaliiri
Yahaya are also being tortured.
There are many, many people being
tortured, one report reads in part, It is
possible some could be maimed totally or
even dead.
The report sparked public outrage,
forced the Uganda Human Rights Com-
mission (UHRC) to summon and ques-
tion the heads of the army and police,
tion. President Yoweri Museveni was
David Muhoozi and police chief, Gen.

exerted some pressure on the security
forces, Rwakafuzi continues to be frus-
trated by the same forces and is growing
more pessimistic about their willingness
to allow the victims get justice.

Byamukama was released without being
innocent, the police say that is not the
case.
But when pressed regarding what
charges Byamukama faces, Police Spokes-
person, Asan Kasingye, refused to elabo-
rate.
Sept 15 - 21 , 2017 15
NEWS ANALYSIS

 the van to the counter. We can view the of Torture Act, and the perpetrators must
we shall determine that when the DPP images on the CCTV cameras. be arrested and charged in an open court.
(Director of Public Prosecutions) makes Muramira was talking to MPs. Him, We need to see justice done, she said.
public his charges, he said. ASP Fred Tumuhirwa, drivers Ben Odeke 
It is a stock response which often and Roma Habibu had been arrested and Mario Obiga-Kania, apologised for the

detained in Nalufenya over allegations of torture of suspects. He informed parlia-
torturing Byamukama. ment that the police have already arrest-
arrest to the murder of Kaweesi. Police Musisi, who had just been released on
 courts of law.
torturing him.
They knew he was innocent, Rwaka-
fuzi said, they have released him but
clear he had been beaten but he was
public. The authorities need to account
for such illegal, inexcusable and glaring
walk.
You said he is a murderer, Rwaka-
fuzi said, how then do you just release
him? What happens to his integrity? How
should his community see him?
When contacted, Jane Kajuga, the
Spokesperson of the DPP told The
Independent that when police initially
took Byamukama for interrogation, it was Kadaga ordered an investigation.
in the wee hours of the morning. As the revelations about torture contin-
When they brought him back, it was ued to spark outrage, President Musev-

still walking. But on the third time, they
confessions from suspects.
Legislator Muwanga Kivumbi, a mem-
He spent that whole night crying in
pain. On the second night, he was already
dripping pus. about Nalufenya early this year.
One of the detainees banged the door Indeed, a report by ACTV, a body that


was not on it. Then two weeks ago police

linking Byamukama to the murder.

-
ed, we found that the evidence was not

police accordingly.
Asked whether that meant that
Byamukama was a free man, Kajuga
said: Yes, because there is no evidence

Gen. Kale Kayihura Gen. David Muhoozi Laudislaus Rwakafuzi

Byamukamas about-turn
In an added twist to the case, Byamu- and asked that they take him or else he rehabilitates torture victims, reveals that
kama has since his arrest been heaping would die. He had spent three days cry- police accounts for majority of the over
praise on the police. He has announced ing in pain. That is when Byamukama 6000 Ugandan survivors of torture that
that he will not take any legal action. was rushed to Jinja Hospital, where the the they have interacted with in the past
Even his wife, who has been running to six years.
- then to Nsambya and lastly Nakasero Some of the worst torturers at Nalufe-
dom, has suddenly gone quiet. The Inde- Hospital. nya are known. Victims reportedly told
pendent could reach neither Byamukama Musisi also revealed that one of the Rwakafuzi that they Minaana and Kasiba.
nor his wife to comment on this story.  They are so brutal, he said, they
Earlier, when another torture suspect, brother died under torture, and another tell the inmates that even the President
Godfrey Musisi, who was at Nalufenya allowed them to kill. At CMI, he said, a
when Byamukama was tortured, made a tortured. key torturer is Ali Eriasa. Other victims
statement before his lawyer giving great These revelations sparked public out- mentioned others like Muhangi and
detail of what happened to him, Byamu- rage and forced Speaker Rebecca Kadaga Nickson Ayesigire, who led the opera-
kama appeared to contradict it. to launch a parliamentary investigation tions.
Musisi said he suspected Byamukama into what appeared to have become a -
had been forced to say otherwise. Indeed, pervasive misconduct with in security ed or apprehended and police has never
ASP Patrick Muramira, who was arrested circles. come out to clarify on the allegations
- How can one explain the electric 
 shock, the knocking out of teeth, the 
We arrested him through phone breaking of knee caps, the ironing of a 
tracking. We introduced ourselves - 
and explained to him about the ongo- behind these violations are not punished,
ing investigations about Kaweesi. We of a person? Kadaga said. -
put him in a van and brought him here Torture is not an issue of the Police view drew to the end, there is no justice
(Nalufenya), said Muramira, The  for these victims, there is no accountabil-
Mayor was delivered here without any ity from the authorities. It is impunity. It
open would or a scratch. He walked from breach of the Prevention and Prohibition is inexcusable.

16 Sept 15 - 21 , 2017