Anger as prisoner is tortured, abandoned to rot with bullet wounds

Aloyzious Waswa being taken to an ambulance at Kakumiro Health Center IV on Thursday. BY ALEX TUMUHIMBISE

What you need to know:

  • Mr Zakalia Sekyanzi, a resident of Kisiita Town council in Kakumiro district together with his family, claims that his son Aloyzious Waswa, 22, who was recently remanded to Kyabisenge Prison is in critical condition as a result of grave torture by Fednand Beka, the officer in charge of the prison.
  • Waswa was remanded on allegations of theft.
  • He was, however, arrested by prison authorities for attempting to escape from the prison facility on Friday April 20, 2018.
  • When contacted by the Daily Monitor, Beka denied the torture claims by the inmate’s family.
  • He said that the victim (Waswa) was injured by residents as he was attempting to escape from the prison maize garden during work.

A man in Kakumiro district has accused prison authorities at Kyabisenge Prison in Kakumiro town council for reportedly torturing and abandoning his remanded son to rot with bullet wounds.

Mr Zakalia Sekyanzi, a resident of Kisiita Town council in Kakumiro district together with his family, claims that his son Aloyzious Waswa, 22, who was recently remanded to Kyabisenge Prison is in critical condition as a result of grave torture by Fednand Beka, the officer in charge of the prison.
Waswa was remanded on allegations of theft. He was, however, arrested by prison authorities for attempting to escape from the prison facility on Friday April 20, 2018.

Speaking to Daily Monitor from his sick bed at Kakumiro Health Center IV, Waswa said that he was arrested and later brought back to the prison where Beka started torturing him on a daily basis.

He was during the process of torture shot in the foot. He added that he was forced to attempt the escape move because of the appalling situation at the prison facility where he had contracted dysentery. Waswa says that he was passing out a bloody stool and yet no one was giving him medical attention.
“They shot me in the leg after arresting me for attempting to escape. I tried to escape because I was dying of bloody diarrhea and I was also sleeping in the latrine,” he narrated.

While speaking with difficulty, Waswa said, “I have been undergoing torture by beating every morning with no medical care.”
Sekyanzi explained that on hearing that his son had been shot, he visited the prison and officers lead him to Kakumiro health center four where he found his son in critical condition.
‘‘I was informed on Sunday that my son had been shot and when I reached at the health center, I found him bleeding in critical condition’’ Sekyanzi said.

However, after four days, he was informed that the prison authorities had instead torturing Waswa.
He added, “When I came back today, I found him nearly dying; he had been tortured with wounds and houseflies around him.
They also told me that there is no way they would care for someone who was escaping from the prison.”

A medical officer who did not want to be identified at the health center told daily monitor that the prisoner is in critical condition and there was a need for him to be referred to Mubende.
At around 4:30pm on April 26, the prisoner’s family forced the Kyabisenge prison authorities to allow him get referred to Mubende Regional Referral hospital.

Sekyanzi is now demanding for justice of his son who was tortured over unfounded allegations of attempted escape from the prison.
He said, “Many inmates are suffering down there because of torture and I saw six of them with burnt legs and wounds. This facility has become like the Nalufenya we he hear of.”

When contacted by the Daily Monitor, Beka denied the torture claims by the inmate’s family.
He said that the victim (Waswa) was injured by residents as he was attempting to escape from the prison maize garden during work.

He added that the inmate was taken to Kakumiro Police station to record a statement and thereafter he was also taken to Kakumiro Health Center IV for treatment.
He said, “I took him to hospital and he was admitted for two days and given treatment and other drugs which we have been administering to him every morning.”