I have since my childhood days opposed injustice of any form. In fact when I was in primary seven I wrote a letter sharply criticizing teachers who would get money from us for coaching during the holidays and refuse to teach, an action for which I was severely punished. In my secondary school, I led a group that rejected the commerce teacher for he would copy and paste all his notes from essentials of commerce without bothering to explain and/or simplify for us. I paid heavily for that as I dropped out of school for some reasonable time. As I went back, I found that students who had vied for leadership positions and won were rejected by the school administration and those that had vied for junior positions were appointed in very senior positions, an act that was very undemocratic.
I was in senior four and was ipso facto ineligible for any leadership position. I nevertheless championed a struggle that saw democracy take root in that school to date. I questioned the relevance of making students waste their valuable time campaigning and voting only to end up appointing the headmaster’s choice. I suggested that we either choose our leaders or shun the elections. I was supported by all active students and virtually all the teachers. I supported a candidate who ended up losing because he had been appointed a head prefect when he was in senior two so many senior four students were opposed to him. I however, urged our camp to embrace defeat graciously.
In the 2000-2001 elections I vigorously campaigned for Dr Besigye because I felt Museveni had veered offtrack. I was in Kabale then and braved the intimidation of the Residence District Commissar, James Mwesigye. As I went for holidays, I continued campaigning for Dr Besigye despite the fact that I would get my tuition from a staunch Museveni supporter and Campaign agent. As I joined Makerere University in 2001, I strongly joined the forefront of opposition politics and I was later to be elected in various leadership positions of which I haven’t been told I betrayed those who voted me. I also became a member of Radio One Kimeza shortly after I joined the university. At campus, I used the press through writing letters to the editor mainly in the daily monitor to decry the inhuman and degrading treatment students were subjected to and share my view on pertinent issues with the public. I was also a political editor of the Makererean News paper wherein every week I would have my voice. All this I say to show my persona.
I immediately joined the formal human rights movement in 2004 by registering as a student member of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative. Since then, I have been richly grounded in human rights in addition to doing a master degree in human rights. I may not be qualified to award myself marks but people say I have attempted to marry theory with practice. For all the time I was speaking I had never experienced the wrath and ire of the state operatives until I started putting my views in black and white. As a precursor to the hell I underwent I reported a case of threatening violence at Kira Road Police station on 9th April 2008 under SD ref 45/09/04/2008. When I reported this case at Kira Road virtually all the officers were disappointed decrying the fastest growing levels of violence in Kifumbira, Kamwokya. It is also clear that the officer who was assigned that case feared to effect an arrest there. Utterly disappointed on 10th April 2008 I called General Kayihura and told him of the rising levels of violence among his people in Kifumbira. He was annoyed by the fact that I mentioned his people but still told me to meet him in his office. At his office, I was tormented by police officers who accused me of being critical of government on air. On 11th April 2008, I was arrested, dumped into Central Police Station wherein I was subjected to all sorts of hell-pouring cold water on me always, denying me food, physical beatings, confining me into the filthiest environment and denying me access to my friend or relatives. I was detained incommunicado, denied the writ of habeas corpus, tortured and subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment, denied the right to a fair hearing not to forget that they never recorded my statement. A celebrated professor of law, Dr John-Jean Barya later learnt of it on my third day, but the police flatly denied him access to me. I am incontrovertibly convinced that they wanted me dead without anyone’s knowledge and dump my body anywhere.
As I was preparing to meet creator, on my fifth day in that hell, Bruce Balaba and Thomas Tayebwa appeared. Instead of showing them relief, I broke into tears. Worried that my unconditional release would make the police face the wrath of the law, they connived with Butabika staff, where they sent me and subjected me to toxins which I believe I need to have detoxified from my bodyReuben Wamala was killed from Butabika as I watched with my naked eye! Sadly, I was discharged when they were sure I wouldn’t recover. In their heart of hearts they said to themselves, let him go and die elsewhere. I will not go into the details of Butabika since I have sued Dr Tom Onen together with the Attorney General under Civil suit 92 of 2009 at the High Court of Uganda in Kampala. But the fact is that our hospitals have now been turned into extensions of torture chambers and our doctors have turned into sophisticated murderers. I thank God the almighty that I am still alive and pray that public officials who abuse their offices pay for their sins. As we commemorate the UN day in support of Victims of torture, we must take note that hospitals are now sophisticated torture chambers and we must strive to ensure we have no place for impunity.
Vincent Nuwagaba
Human Rights Defender
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