A former military intelligence officer has broken ranks with the security establishment and alleged that Ugandans detained in security facilities have been subjected to systematic torture, naming political activist Sam Mugumya among those he says he personally witnessed being mistreated.
In a leaked video circulating widely on social media, former CMI operative Lt Herbert Matanda Mabonga says his conscience could no longer allow him to remain silent about what he described as abuses committed against Ugandans by security agencies.
Mabonga, who identifies himself as a former aide to the late Gen Aronda Nyakairima and says he served in the military intelligence system for years, declares that he has effectively distanced himself from the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF).
“I have witnessed matters my heart cannot uphold anymore. This is our country. We are parents and children of this country,” Mabonga says in the video.
“I have declared myself a non-member of UPDF because the whole system is a mess. State-motivated agencies are ruining our country. We cannot continue to observe.”
His testimony has ignited fresh debate about allegations of torture, enforced disappearance and unlawful detention involving opposition activists and other government critics.
Mugumya video becomes latest flashpoint
The revelations come as a disturbing video showing activist Sam Mugumya in visibly poor physical condition has circulated online. The footage, whose circumstances and location have not been independently verified, purports to show Mugumya struggling to walk and apparently in severe physical distress.
Opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has condemned the alleged treatment and demanded Mugumya’s immediate release.
The video has also prompted renewed calls for an independent investigation into Mugumya’s whereabouts, condition and the circumstances surrounding his detention.
Mugumya has been missing since his reported abduction in August 2025. A previous High Court case concerning his detention sought judicial intervention over allegations that he was being held by military authorities. In September 2025, the High Court dealt with a habeas corpus application concerning the alleged military detention of Mugumya.
Human rights advocates have since repeatedly raised concerns about his continued detention and lack of public access to him.
Agora Centre for Research says Mugumya was reported missing after being abducted in Mbarara in August 2025 and that a short video of him appeared online in July 2026 amid reports that he was being held at a military facility in Kasenyi. The latest footage has intensified those concerns.
‘Enough is enough’
In his leaked testimony, Mabonga appears to struggle with emotion as he speaks about what he describes as the torture of detainees.
He says soldiers themselves can become traumatised by being ordered to participate in acts of torture. “We get traumatised torturing,” he says, before turning specifically to what he describes as cases of torture involving political detainees.
He singles out Mugumya as a victim, alleging that the activist was subjected to “all forms of torture” while being held in what he describes as safe houses.
Mabonga further alleges that the facilities were under the command of elements within the Special Forces Command (SFC).
These allegations have not been independently established, and the military has not, in the material available for this report, publicly confirmed Mabonga’s claims.
The former officer’s testimony, however, has provided fresh fuel to long-standing allegations by opposition activists and human-rights defenders that security agencies operate unofficial detention facilities where suspects are subjected to abuse.
Other names emerge
Mabonga’s allegations also revive a wider catalogue of torture claims involving political activists and opposition figures.
Among those whose names have featured in Uganda’s longstanding debate over alleged security-force torture are lawyer Eron Kiiza, former Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago, lawyer Gideon Tugume and former minister Miria Matembe, alongside numerous opposition supporters.
The allegations have emerged at different times and under different circumstances and should not automatically be treated as established facts.
But the latest video has brought them back into the public conversation because the person making the allegations presents himself as a former insider within the security system.
For opposition activists, that insider status makes Mabonga’s testimony particularly significant.
Lawyers demand accountability
Lawyer Kiiza Eron, who has been involved in legal efforts concerning Mugumya’s detention, said witnesses who had seen the activist described his condition to court.
“Pray for Sam Mugumya,” Kiiza said, adding that testimonies had been placed before the High Court concerning his alleged detention at a military/SFC facility.
He said the Judiciary should intervene where a person is being held illegally, arguing that continued incommunicado detention deprives an individual of the protection of the law.
Uganda’s Constitution provides a clear prohibition against torture. Article 24 states that no person shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 44 goes further by placing freedom from torture among rights from which there can be no derogation.
The Prevention and Prohibition of Torture Act, 2012, also criminalises torture and provides legal protection against physical and psychological forms of abuse. The law specifically recognises practices such as incommunicado detention, confinement in secret detention places and prolonged interrogation as forms of psychological torture in specified circumstances.
This legal framework means that allegations of torture in detention raise questions beyond partisan politics.
Byanyima: ‘My heart is broken’
The footage has triggered emotional reactions from activists and political figures. UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima expressed shock at the images, saying her heart was broken and expressing concern about how Mugumya’s mother was coping.
Activist Agather Atuhaire recalled receiving threats after sharing an earlier video of Mugumya in July.
She questioned why attention was allegedly being directed towards people sharing evidence of his condition rather than towards the circumstances that resulted in his reported injuries.
“Instead of going after people for exposing your atrocities simply stop committing atrocities,” she said.
Other activists, including Jim Spire Ssentongo, condemned what they described as the brutality depicted in the footage.
Some commentators also cautioned that whatever allegations may have been made against Mugumya, no offence can justify torture.
One social-media commentator argued that if Mugumya had committed an offence, he should be prosecuted through due process rather than subjected to treatment that violates his dignity.
That position reflects a basic principle of Uganda’s constitutional framework: criminal accusations are to be dealt with through lawful procedures, while freedom from torture remains protected.
Bobi Wine demands release
Bobi Wine has made Mugumya’s case part of his broader condemnation of alleged human-rights abuses by security agencies.
The NUP president has previously raised concerns over alleged abductions, detention and torture of opposition supporters and activists, including Mugumya.
Following the circulation of the latest video, opposition figures have renewed demands for Mugumya to be brought before a competent court, provided with medical treatment and allowed access to lawyers and family members. The political opposition says the images are evidence of a wider pattern of abuse.
Government and security agencies, however, would need to independently respond to the specific allegations contained in the leaked video, including the identity of the people seen in the footage, where it was recorded, when it was recorded and who was responsible for Mugumya’s custody and medical condition.
A former insider’s warning
For Mabonga, however, the issue appears to have moved beyond party politics. His message is framed as an appeal from a former soldier to fellow Ugandans.
He says security personnel are also parents and citizens and argues that the continued use of torture ultimately damages the country and those ordered to participate in it. “I am a soldier,” he says, before declaring that enough is enough.
The significance of his testimony will ultimately depend on whether the allegations can be independently verified through witnesses, medical evidence, court proceedings and an investigation capable of establishing responsibility.
For now, the leaked video has reopened one of Uganda’s most sensitive questions: what happens to citizens once they disappear into unofficial detention facilities, and who answers when allegations of torture emerge?
Mugumya’s condition, the allegations made by Mabonga and the demands for his release have placed that question firmly back on the national agenda.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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