Uganda: State House and Security Agencies Under Siege

What the report says

AllAfrica carried a July 21, 2026 report from The Independent (Kampala) alleging that Stephen Nuwagaba, described as a little-known but feared figure in Uganda’s security circles, has used claimed access to President Yoweri Museveni and residence at Nakasero State Lodge to intimidate officials. The report says Nuwagaba presents himself as a UPDF brigadier general and senior presidential adviser, and claims Israeli military and intelligence credentials.

The Independent alleges that Nuwagaba has used those claims to extort and threaten public officials. One detailed case involves AIGP Frank Mwesigwa, the Uganda Police director of operations, whom Nuwagaba allegedly accused of receiving Rwandan money before asking for Shs300 million to alter a report to the president. The article says Mwesigwa rejected him, after which a woman connected to a land sale involving Mwesigwa was arrested by the State House anti-corruption unit and detained without charges for 10 days, in what the publication characterizes as intimidation.

The report also alleges Nuwagaba created fake WhatsApp exchanges to implicate State House and security personnel, naming several officials it says were affected or targeted. It further says Uganda’s Internal Security Organisation tested his claimed hacking abilities and concluded he was fraudulent after he failed to return from an assignment. According to the article, Israeli counterparts were asked to check his claimed IDF and Mossad background and found no record matching his assertions.

The allegations matter because they concern possible manipulation of presidential access, security agencies and anti-corruption processes in Uganda. The report is based on The Independent’s investigation and attributed sources; no response from Nuwagaba is included in the supplied text.