Uganda government ordered to compensate exiled novelist with over $13,666 for torture

By Anthony Wesaka, KAMPALA Uganda

The Uganda High Court has ordered the government to compensate exiled novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija with over $13,666 (Shs50 million) for torturing him and invading his privacy.

In a 24-page ruling delivered via email on October 23, Justice Boniface Wamala found that Mr Kakwenza had demonstrated he was illegally detained for over a week and subjected to torture by security operatives.

“The applicant (Kakwenza) provided evidence that the agents of the respondent (Attorney General) acted with high-handedness and without accountability. The evidence shows he was detained illegally for seven days, enduring torture and violations of his right to privacy,” Justice Wamala stated.

According to the judge, the conduct of the "agents was unconstitutional, oppressive, and arbitrary, warranting an award of exemplary damages.”

Justice Wamala awarded Kakwenza $10,932 (Shs40 million) in general damages and $2,733 (Shs10 million) in exemplary damages, totaling to Shs50 million, although The Savage Avenger author had sought Shs100 million.

The court also granted him unspecified costs for successfully prosecuting the case.

The compensation stems from a lawsuit filed by Mr Kakwenza, who told court that on April 13, 2020, military personnel, some in uniform and others in civilian clothes with CMI identification, arrested him at his home in Iganga District in eastern Uganda. He was blindfolded and transported to an unknown location, later identified as Mbuya CMI headquarters.

Mr Kakwenza reported being held incommunicado and subjected to solitary confinement in a dark toilet until April 18, 2020, when he was transferred to the Special Investigations Division in Kireka, where he endured further illegal detention.

He stated that on April 14, 2020, CMI operatives tortured him, including hanging him by his hands and legs cuffed on a staircase overnight and using brutal interrogation methods.

Court documents detail that he was beaten with gun butts and denied medical attention. Kakwenza stated he was forced to kneel on stones with his arms tied, and that he was subjected to threats and physical violence during interrogations focused on his novel The Greedy Barbarian and his social media activities.

Justice Wamala noted that while Kakwenza had been interrogated, there was insufficient evidence to prove that the treatment was due to his novel or social media posts. He ruled that Kakwenza's rights to personal liberty, freedom from torture, and privacy had been violated, but not his right to freedom of speech.

Kakwenza’s lawyer, Mr Eron Kiiza, welcomed the decision, urging the government to investigate and discipline those responsible for the torture.

In early 2022, Kakwenza fled to Germany, where he has since received recognition and awards for his writing.

Before he fled Uganda, he faced two charges under the Computer Misuse Act, which had led to the confiscation of his passport.