MUSEVENI: Who is Nuwagaba

What the report says

The Independent Uganda published a long comment by President Yoweri Museveni responding to journalist Andrew Mwenda over the case of Stephen Nuwagaba. In the article, Museveni says Nuwagaba is a young man in his mid-twenties who came to him after allegedly fleeing abuse and threats from elements within the security services. He says Nuwagaba has been under his care, has received treatment in Uganda and abroad, and still has lingering effects from alleged torture and maiming.

Museveni links the matter to wider concerns about misconduct inside state security bodies, saying some officers accused of abuse are now facing court action. He argues that torture, maiming and killings are wrong, counter-productive and inconsistent with the liberation values he says Uganda fought for. He also accuses Mwenda of trying to distract the country with what he presents as a manufactured controversy around Nuwagaba.

The president further says that Nuwagaba’s mother was also allegedly attacked and that his father received threats, claims he says are being examined through a quiet investigation he set in motion. The piece places the dispute in the context of Museveni’s broader criticism of impunity, corruption and security-sector abuses, which he says remain more important national problems than the public attention around Nuwagaba.

The Independent’s publication is dated August 3, 2026. As presented, the article is a political commentary rather than a news report, and it does not independently verify the allegations raised.