Uganda’s Silent Wounds: A Decade of Death, Disappearance, and Defiance
Dare to Name the Pain This story is not just one of suffering—it is one of silence. Uganda’s greatest wound is not only the bodies it buries, but the voices it silences. If healing is to happen, we must speak, remember, and demand. A republic cannot thrive where fear reigns, where bloodlines trump ballots, and where truth is buried with its speakers.
Uganda Today Edition: Uganda’s Silent Wounds: A Decade of Death, Disappearance, and Defiance
By Uganda Today News Desk
Introduction: The Cost of Dissent
In Uganda, dissent is not a right—it is a risk. From 2015 to 2025, opposition supporters, activists, and journalists have lived under a state of constant siege. Hundreds have been killed, thousands abducted or tortured, and many more live in fear. The government’s response to political opposition has hardened from surveillance and intimidation to outright violence.
In a nation where speaking out is equated with subversion, even the act of supporting an opposition figure can make you a target. Today, we map the sorrow and resilience behind the headlines.
1. Visual Timeline: Ten Years of Blood and Silence (2015–2025)
| Year | Victim | Affiliation | Incident | State Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Yasin Kawuma | Bobi Wine’s driver | Shot in Arua by SFC | Denial, no investigation |
| 2020 | Ritah Nabukenya | NUP supporter | Knocked down by police van | Dismissed as accident |
| 2020 | Francis Senteza | Bobi Wine aide | Beaten to death by military | Denial by army |
| 2021 | Hundreds of youth | Central, Eastern Uganda | Tortured in safe houses | Disinformation campaigns |
| 2023 | DJ Fikie | NUP youth mobilizer | Tortured, silenced | No arrests |
| 2025 | Eddie Mutwe | NUP chief bodyguard | Abducted, tortured | Ongoing trauma |
2. The Faces Left Behind: Stories of Grief and Resistance
a. “I Still Set a Plate for Him” — Mother of Yasin Kawuma
She lost her son in Arua. He was simply a driver. She now lives with unanswered questions and a grave that still waits for justice.
b. “My Child Vanished into a Drone” — Father of Missing Youth
He last saw his son being thrown into an unmarked van. It has been four years. He still walks to the local police post every week.
c. “He Was the Wall Between Bobi and the Bullet” — Wife of Eddie Mutwe
His body returned home, broken by torture. But his will did not. He speaks rarely, but when he does, he says, “They didn’t beat the truth out of me.”
3. A Culture of Fear: The Machinery of Repression
- Drones (Unmarked Vans): Symbol of fear. Used in broad daylight.
- Safe Houses: Torture chambers with state impunity.
- Military Courts: Used against civilians in violation of legal norms.
- Media Blackouts: State-controlled outlets air disinformation or remain silent.
Quotes from Chapter Four, Uganda Law Society, and Human Rights Watch highlight the decay of judicial independence and erosion of civil rights.
4. Rename the Republic: A Satirical Rebuttal
As analyst Christopher Isaac Lubogo wrote in his recent essay, “The People’s Clan of Bachwezi,” Uganda now resembles an estate of dynastic rule. The language of the crown dominates state appointments, national identity, and justice. Repression is not random—it is structured.
5. Conclusion: Dare to Name the Pain
This story is not just one of suffering—it is one of silence. Uganda’s greatest wound is not only the bodies it buries, but the voices it silences.
If healing is to happen, we must speak, remember, and demand. A republic cannot thrive where fear reigns, where bloodlines trump ballots, and where truth is buried with its speakers.
“Justice is not blind in Uganda—it is gagged.”
May we dare to dream again. May we dare to rename—this time, not to reflect domination, but restoration.
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