The court found that Kakwenza was subjected to severe human rights violations, including inhumane treatment, during his detention between 13th and 20th April 2020.
High Court’s Justice Boniface Wamala has ruled in favour of Ugandan writer Kakwenza Rukirabashaija, ordering the Attorney General to pay 50 million Ugandan shillings as compensation for his illegal detention and torture.
Kakwenza Rukirabashaija
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The judge declared that the actions by the security agents, such as beating, kicking, blindfolding, and dragging Kakwenza while he was handcuffed, violated his constitutional rights to personal liberty, dignity, and freedom from torture.
The court as such awarded 40 million shillings as general damages and an additional 10 million shillings as exemplary damages for the violations.
Justice Wamala also ruled that Kakwenza’s detention went beyond the constitutional limit of 48 hours without charge, breaching Article 23(4) of Uganda’s constitution.
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Kakwenza was badly tortured in detention
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Kakwenza responds
Despite the court’s ruling, Kakwenza expressed dissatisfaction with the financial compensation, stating that his focus was on the arrest of President Yoweri Museveni and his son, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, under whose orders he believes the torture was carried out.
Kakwenza's ordeal first garnered attention in 2020 when he was arrested by military officers after the publication of his book The Greedy Barbarian, which critiques high-level corruption in a fictional setting.
During his time in detention, he endured brutal torture, which he later detailed in his work Banana Republic: Where Writing is Treasonous.
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After being released on bail by court, Kakwenza fled the country in 2022, escaping through a porous border and later finding refuge in Germany, where he continues his activism and writing.
His story has drawn international attention, particularly for the Ugandan government's response to dissenting voices and the misuse of state power to silence critics.
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and PEN International have condemned his treatment, calling for the protection of freedom of expression and an end to the torture of government critics in Uganda.
