Leave Nuwagaba Alone, Museveni Warns Mwenda

What the report says

President Yoweri Museveni has publicly defended Stephen Nuwagaba and criticized journalist Andrew Mwenda over reporting that questioned Nuwagaba’s background and role. In a statement carried by Nile Post, Museveni said Nuwagaba, a man in his mid-twenties, came to him as a victim of torture, injury and trauma, and that he had been receiving medical care in Uganda and abroad.

Museveni portrayed the case as part of a wider problem inside security agencies, saying some members of the security forces were implicated in abuse and should face accountability. He argued that such conduct was inconsistent with the goals of Uganda’s liberation struggle and warned security institutions not to commit torture, extrajudicial killings or similar offenses while pursuing law enforcement.

The president’s comments were a direct response to Mwenda’s Independent Magazine, which had described Nuwagaba as a potential national security threat and called for investigations into his identity documents, alleged intimidation of officials and reported use of armed security personnel. Museveni rejected that framing, saying the country’s bigger challenge was corruption and criminality, including within state institutions, rather than Nuwagaba himself.

The episode adds to continuing debate in Uganda over torture allegations, discipline in the security services and the balance between oversight and public criticism of powerful institutions.