Prisons medical report reveals Kakwenza was tortured

A Prisons medical report has said novelist Kwakenza Rukirabashaija had torture marks before he was brought into custody.

The writer is on remand at Kitalya prison on charges of using social media and making abusive, derogatory and belittling tweets against First Son, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and President Museveni. 

“This medical re-examination was requested for on January 13 and carried out on January 14 at Kitalya Mini Max Prison, found the 33-year-old male prisoner remanded at Kitalya with complaints of healing scars of wounds sustained before being remanded to prison,” read in part the prisons medical report signed by Dr James Kisambu on behalf of the Commissioner General of Prisons.

“He also had healing scars on the back, the buttocks, thighs and hands for which he is on medication,” the January 20 report further read.

The report comes barely two days after the Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) staff visited Mr Kakwenza in prison and thereafter, tweeted about his condition.

“Yesterday (Monday), UHRC visited Kakwenza at Kitalya government prison. The team from UHRC interacted with him extensively and noted the visible scars and injuries on his body that were healing,” read in part the Commission’s tweet.

Mr Kakwenza was picked up by a joint security team from his home in Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb, on December 28, last year and later held incommunicado from where he was allegedly tortured by security personnel.

Prosecution states that Kakwenza wilfully and repeatedly used his Twitter handle to disturb the peace of President Museveni and Lt Gen Kainerugaba, who is also the commander of the Land Forces.

He faces two counts of offensive communication contrary to the Computer Misuse Act. The writer will be returned to the Buganda Road Court today for mention of his case and for his lawyers to apply for bail pending the hearing of his case at a later date.