“Eddie Mutwe is all of us. Today they torture him; tomorrow they will come for any Ugandan who demands freedom.”
— President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (X (formerly Twitter))
1 DRAGGED INTO DARKNESS BY THE REGIME
Before sunrise on 27 April 2025, armed men in Special Forces Command gear swooped on Kiwango village, Mukono, and seized Edward Ssebuufu (Eddie Mutwe), the steadfast bodyguard of President Kyagulanyi. For days, his fate was concealed—until Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, son of Dictator Yoweri Museveni, boasted on X that Eddie was “in my basement… captured like a grasshopper,” even threatening to “discipline” anyone who protested. (Al Jazeera, The Observer)
These ghoulish tweets were not bravado; they were a declaration of terror from a dynasty clinging to power by fear.
2 EVIDENCE OF TORTURE THE STATE CANNOT ERASE
When Eddie finally appeared before Masaka Magistrates Court on 5 May, he limped, his head swollen and wrists torn by shackles. His lawyer revealed that Eddie endured daily electrocution, water-boarding and baton blows to his genitals. (Reuters, Al Jazeera)
Two days later, President Kyagulanyi visited him in Masaka Main Prison:
“He is in great pain… wounds all over his body… the prison clinic cannot handle his condition.” (Monitor)
Torture violates Article 24 of Uganda’s Constitution and the UN Nelson Mandela Rules, yet under Museveni–Muhoozi rule it has become routine policy.
3 A SHAM TRIAL DESIGNED TO MASK CRIMES
Despite visible injuries and a standing Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) release order, a magistrate remanded Eddie on trumped-up aggravated-robbery charges tied to a village funeral. Cameras were banned; truth is the dictatorship’s deadliest enemy. (Reuters, Log in or sign up to view)
4 UHRC ORDER IGNORED, RULE OF LAW SHREDDED
On 2 May the UHRC declared Eddie’s detention unlawful and demanded his freedom; Museveni’s army tightened the chains instead. (Log in or sign up to view) The Uganda Law Society and every major opposition party condemned the blatant defiance, warning the world that Uganda’s judiciary now bends wholly to State House.
5 WHY EDDIE MATTERS TO EVERY UGANDAN
For years Eddie has faced treason and riot dockets, each time walking out unbowed. He has refused bribes to betray People Power. President Kyagulanyi reminds us that Eddie’s scars mirror our nation’s wounds; his resistance, our collective hope.
Opposition leaders and civil-society groups now unite behind #FreeEddieMutwe, calling the abduction a “watershed moment” in Museveni’s 39-year reign of fear. (The Observer)
6 MEDICAL EMERGENCY, NOT A PRISON SENTENCE
Electro-shock survivors risk nerve damage, cardiac arrhythmia and chronic pain. Masaka Prison Clinic lacks neurologists, imaging or ICU beds. By refusing hospital transfer, the regime commits slow-motion murder in plain sight—another breach of international law. (Monitor)
7 THE ROAD TO JUSTICE
- Spread verified facts. Counter regime propaganda by sharing trusted reports and Kyagulanyi’s updates under #FreeEddieMutwe.
- Pressure institutions. Demand action from the African Union, European Union and UN Human Rights Council; Museveni’s impunity thrives on silence.
- Support legal action. Ugandan lawyers are finalising an ICC referral naming Muhoozi and senior commanders—evidence, funding and global attention will keep that case alive.
- Stand firm at home. Peaceful protests, petition drives, prayer vigils—every lawful avenue must thunder with Eddie’s name. They cannot jail an entire nation.
8 KYAGULANYI’S VOW — AND OUR DUTY
“This struggle is bigger than one man. We either end torture in our lifetime, or future generations will curse our silence.”
— President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Monitor)
I write as Fred Lumbye, a witness to tyranny and a believer in Uganda’s dawn. Dictator Museveni and his son Muhoozi think fear will break us; instead, it forges iron in our souls. Eddie will walk free. Uganda—scarred yet unbroken—will rise.
#FreeEddieMutwe | #PeoplePower | #WeAreRemovingADictator
SOURCES
- Al Jazeera – “Uganda’s military chief says holding opposition activist ‘in my basement’,” 2 May 2025. (Al Jazeera)
- The Observer (Uganda) – “Muhoozi gloats in abducting, torturing Bobi Wine’s bodyguard Eddie Mutwe,” 2 May 2025. (The Observer)
- Reuters – “Missing Uganda opposition activist charged and remanded,” 5 May 2025. (Reuters)
- Al Jazeera – “Ugandan activist reportedly held by military chief shows signs of torture,” 6 May 2025. (Al Jazeera)
- Uganda Human Rights Commission release order, 2 May 2025. (Log in or sign up to view)
- Daily Monitor – “Kyagulanyi visits Eddie Mutwe in prison,” 7 May 2025. (Monitor)
