“The President’s man”

What the report says

The Independent Uganda published a news analysis on July 28, 2026, alleging that Stephen/Steven Nuwagaba, a young Ugandan man, used claims of torture and links to sensitive security matters to gain access to senior officials and extract money. The report centers on a March 17, 2025, meeting in Gulu, where Gen. Salim Saleh reportedly received Nuwagaba after human rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo referred him. Nuwagaba allegedly told Saleh he had been abused by military intelligence officials and later taken to the Rwandan High Commission, claims the article says Saleh found inconsistent.

According to The Independent, President Yoweri Museveni later contacted Saleh in May after hearing claims that Saleh and his aide had abducted and tortured Nuwagaba. Saleh reportedly explained that he had instead referred Nuwagaba for a medical examination. The article also says Opiyo had earlier sought help from security officials and The Independent CEO Andrew Mwenda, after which CDIS chief Maj. Gen. James Birungi allegedly intervened, compensated Nuwagaba with Shs10 million, and helped him obtain a new passport.

The report further alleges, citing CDIS files and unnamed sources, that Nuwagaba became entangled in a private dispute involving Speaker Anita Among, her husband Hashim Magogo, and another woman, before turning to alleged blackmail. It also names security officer Amis Ainebyona, who is accused in the article of first investigating and later exploiting the situation.

The Independent says Nuwagaba eventually reached State House, Nakasero, after being introduced to the president through former CDIS chief Maj. Gen. Abel Kandiho. These are allegations reported by The Independent; 256 Newsroom has not independently verified them.