Masaka, Uganda: There were emotional scenes at Masaka High Court on Tuesday as Edward Rogers Ssebuufu, commonly known as Eddie Mutwe, the head of security for NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi, broke down in pain while pleading for urgent medical attention over injuries he says resulted from torture during military detention.
Appearing before Grade One Magistrate Abdallah Kayiza, Ssebuufu, visibly weak and shivering, walked into court on crutches and displayed scars on his arms to the bench. He wore a black T-shirt and a shawl around his neck, showing signs of physical distress.
As he recounted his ordeal in detention, his mother, wife, and supporters wept openly inside the courtroom. Ssebuufu told the magistrate that he was enduring intense pain and had to take up to 12 painkillers a day to manage it. He said the Masaka prison authorities had failed to provide adequate care.
“I have a lot of pain; I urgently need serious medical attention because my situation has been worsening, and the Masaka prison authorities have since failed to manage it,” he told court.
His legal team, led by lawyers Samuel Muyizi and Magellan Kazibwe, supported the plea and asked the court to defer his trial until he receives specialised treatment.
The NUP chief security officer is facing charges of aggravated robbery, four counts of simple robbery, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. He was charged before the same court on May 05, nearly a week after he was reportedly abducted from Mukono and held incommunicado by military operatives.
His detention was later confirmed in a social media post by Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the UPDF Chief of Defence Forces and President Museveni’s son, who admitted that he was being held in a military basement.
Ssebufu is charged alongside fellow members of Kyagulanyi’s security detail, Achilleo Kivumbi, Mugumya Gadafi, and Grace Wakabi, who have been on remand since their arrest in November last year.
The charges stem from an altercation at a burial in Mmanja Village, Kissekka Sub-county, Lwengo District, where the group is accused of assaulting mourners, including two female journalists.
The trio was committed to the High Court in March, but Ssebuufu had not yet been processed for trial due to his deteriorating health. During the hearing, State Attorney Moses Wasereka objected to halting proceedings, arguing that investigations were complete and prosecution was ready to proceed.
Magistrate Kayiza ruled that Ssebuufu be committed to the High Court for trial and advised his lawyers to raise their concerns there. “Since the committal papers are ready, this court finds it proper to send the accused person to the High Court. You can proceed and make your prayers before that court when you appear,” he ruled.
He also instructed Masaka Prison authorities to transfer Ssebuufu to Murchison Bay Prison, where he can receive better medical care.
Speaking to journalists after the ruling, Muyizi confirmed they would petition the High Court to halt the trial until his client receives specialist treatment outside the prison system.
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