A 38 year old Lt. John Junior Mwaale has Tuesday narrated how he suffered torture at the hands of his former boss, Maj. Ramathan Gidudu who is currently attached to Mbuya Military Barracks (B Company).
Mwaale made the revelation while meeting Nakasekeke South lawmaker, Paulson Kasana Lutamaguzi pleading for help and financial support to cater for the painful wounds and poor living conditions.
Attached to Mbuya Barracks, Mwaale narrated that on the night of April 2, 2015, he had returned from Nakasero where he went at an official request from his immediate boss, Maj. Gidudu.
The soldier said that despite the approval of his outside visit, he had some grudges with Gidudu who he alleges used to sell soldiers’ food (beans, rice and posho) and when the soldiers would confront him over the issue, he would instead accuse Mwale.
“That very night around midnight, six soldiers came with buttons and told me that afande needed me inside the barracks, I said I wouldn’t go there at that time since they were not even in uniforms. They called him and put him on loud speaker and he ordered that they should take me to him not as a soldier,” Mwale narrates.
“To them this was an order to beat me up, torture me and do whatever they wanted on me; on reaching the barracks, Major Gidudu was holding a club, tied me on a pole on the canteen and he began beating me.
“He brought a hot panga from the coil which he placed on my right leg. I cried loudly but no one would help since whoever would try, they would tell them to get back to their houses.
“The man had a pair of pliers which he used to pluck out my finger nail and the soldiers took turns to beat, me hitting my jaws…I even lost teeth.
“I remained on the pole until soldiers were sent to put on their uniform, came back put me on the handcuffs called a Military police which picked me and dumped me in the Makindye barracks cell and after two days I found myself in the military hospital.”
Pictorial evidence of Mwale’s torture
Mwale says despite not being unable to talk at the time of being questioned, the officers presumed that he had pleaded guilty and was sentenced for 18 months
“In prison, I would always be showered by fellow prisoners; I was denied treatment in the cells and I was left in severe pain never allowed to see outside the prison.
“Ever since 2015 when all this happened, my family is living in total lack and I have since failed to raise school fees to support school going children.
I still have pain in the hand as well as in the chest. All I request is that I am left to retire so that I can go home.
The Nakaseke South legislator, Lutamaguzi condemned the actions of torture against the army officer and promised to support him with some financial help to cater for his treatment and family welfare.
“I didn’t expect an army officer to be inhumanely treated and tortured by fellow soldiers; when he approached me and saw his rotting hand, I have decided to help him with Shs 570, 000 for his medication and Shs 300, 000 to take care of his family which is currently under starvation.”
The UPDF spokesperson Brig Richard Karemere was set to issue an official statement on the matter by publication.