Two Western Uganda-based journalists are nursing severe injuries following their torture by police officers in Mitooma District on Monday.
Mr Hillary Twinamatsiko, a Nation Media Group (NMG) Uganda journalist attached to the Mbarara Bureau, and Ms Sympathy Ahereza of Voice of Ruhinda, were assaulted while investigating allegations of security negligence.
The duo had traveled to Kashenshero Town Council police station to verify a viral TikTok video claiming the station is frequently left abandoned. After interviewing local residents about the security situation, the journalists contacted the Town Council chairperson, Mr Van Allan, for comment. He directed them to his residence.
However, their investigation was violently interrupted.
‘We were moving on a motorcycle and encountered a roadblock on the way to the mayor’s residence,” Mr Twinamatsiko recounted. “They stopped us, confiscated our phones, led us to Kashenshero police station, and put us in cells for over three hours.’
The situation escalated dramatically after they were removed from the cells. Twinamatsiko revealed that three police officers subjected them to a bizarre and painful ordeal, repeatedly punching and kicking them while demanding to know why they were “fighting” the police institution.
“We were forced to eat mandazi (fried bread) while they blocked our noses,” Twinamatsiko added. Their commercial motorcycle (boda boda) rider was subjected to the same violent treatment.
The journalists were subsequently transferred to the Mitooma Central Police Station and hauled before the District Police Commander. In a bizarre legal twist, they were charged under the Computer Misuse Act-a law that was declared null and void by the Constitutional Court in March 2026.
The victims were eventually released on police bond and ordered to report back to the station on June 22, 2026.
By press time, Mr Twinamatsiko was undergoing medical treatment at Kyeizooba Clinic in Bushenyi town, suffering from severe stomach and chest pains resulting from the beating.
Efforts to obtain an official statement from law enforcement have proven futile. Greater Bushenyi Police Spokesperson, Mr Apollo Tayebwa, has repeatedly promised to provide a statement since the journalists’ release on Monday, June 15, 2026, but has yet to do so despite numerous follow-up calls.