Two Kenyan human rights defenders reveal chilling accounts of torture, intimidation, and psychological abuse inside Uganda’s secretive detention cells — raising fresh questions about cross-border repression and human rights violations.
By Your News Correspondence Agency | Kampala
Two Kenyan activists who were detained in Uganda for more than a month have come forward with harrowing accounts of torture, beatings, and psychological torment allegedly inflicted by Ugandan security operatives during interrogation sessions.
According to their testimony, the two—whose names are being withheld for safety reasons—were arrested in mid-October while attending what they described as a “peaceful regional advocacy meeting” in Kampala. What followed, they said, was “a nightmare we will never forget.”
“We were beaten, blindfolded, and forced to kneel for hours,” one of the activists told reporters.
“After every round of interrogation, they handed us painkillers—just enough to keep us alive for the next session.”
The activists claim they were accused of “spying” and “inciting opposition networks”—charges they deny. They described being held incommunicado in a dark, overcrowded cell with little food or water, enduring daily interrogations that sometimes lasted until dawn.
“They used electric wires, rubber pipes, and sticks,” the second activist recounted. “They told us Kenya couldn’t save us here.”
Human Rights Groups Demand Accountability
Human rights watchdogs in both Kenya and Uganda have condemned the alleged torture, calling for a full, independent investigation. Amnesty International’s regional office in Nairobi described the reports as “deeply disturbing and emblematic of Uganda’s pattern of state-sanctioned brutality.”
“The accounts of beatings and forced medication point to systematic torture,” Amnesty said in a statement. “Ugandan authorities must be held to international standards and immediately release all unlawfully detained activists.”
The activists were reportedly released after persistent diplomatic pressure from Nairobi, which demanded consular access and proof of their wellbeing.
Diplomatic Tensions Brewing
The case has stirred diplomatic unease between Kampala and Nairobi. Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reportedly sought explanations from its Ugandan counterpart over what it termed “unwarranted detention and mistreatment of Kenyan nationals.”
Analysts warn that the incident could further strain relations between the two neighbors, already tense over trade disagreements and political interference accusations.
“Uganda’s handling of foreign activists sends a chilling message to the region,” said a Kampala-based analyst. “It suggests dissent—local or foreign—is treated as an act of war.”
A Cry for Justice
The two activists have vowed to pursue justice through regional human rights mechanisms, saying their ordeal was “not just personal but symbolic of the shrinking civic space across East Africa.”
“We survived,” one said quietly, “but many others never walk out of those cells. We are speaking because silence kills.”
Their testimony adds to a growing list of reports detailing Uganda’s alleged human rights abuses against opposition figures, journalists, and activists.
As regional and international pressure mounts, questions remain: How many more voices are being silenced behind those cold prison walls? And will anyone ever be held accountable?
