This week, Prince Kassim Nakibinge, the cultural leader of Muslims in Uganda, spoke to a group of Muslim leaders at Kibuli Hill. These leaders support him instead of the group based in Old Kampala led by Sheikh Mubaje.
Nakibinge spoke about several issues, including the rise in torture and human rights abuses in Uganda. He talked specifically about Eddie Mutwe Sebuwufu, Bobi Wine’s bodyguard, who is currently in prison and very sick. Nakibinge criticized the Masaka Magistrate for repeatedly sending Mutwe back to prison instead of allowing him to get medical care.
Eddie Mutwe had disappeared for a while, and later, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba (President Museveni’s son) admitted Mutwe was being held in his basement. Mutwe says he was tortured there and was forced to salute Museveni’s portrait and learn Kiswahili. At his court appearance, Mutwe begged the judge to let him get medical treatment for the wounds he says he got during torture. He said the pain was so bad, he didn’t mind dying.
Photos of Mutwe crying and asking for his hands to be cut off to stop the pain went viral worldwide. This led to global criticism of the Ugandan government. In response, government supporter Andrew Mwenda blamed foreign influence for the backlash.
On Thursday, Prince Nakibinge added his voice. He strongly urged Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny Dollo to act. He asked him to stop the Masaka Magistrate from continuing to imprison Mutwe, who is clearly very ill, and to make sure he gets proper medical care.
Nakibinge said that as Chief Justice, Dollo has the power to guide all judges in Uganda. He warned that if Dollo does nothing and Mutwe dies, Dollo will be partly responsible for his death.
Mutwe and other members of Bobi Wine’s security team are officially being charged with assaulting journalists during a funeral in Masaka. However, some journalists are now uncomfortable with how the case is being used to punish the accused harshly. Some supporters of Bobi Wine believe that certain journalists may have provoked the fight to damage Bobi Wine’s reputation and help his political rival Mathias Mpuuga.
