Rwandan envoy denies meeting Nuwagaba
Col Joseph Rutabana
KAMPALA: Rwanda’s High Commissioner to Uganda, Col. Joseph Rutabana, has denied ever meeting Stephen Nuwagaba or having any knowledge of him, rejecting allegations that the Rwandan Embassy in Kampala was linked to the young man whose claims of torture have triggered a heated public discussion in Uganda.
Speaking to ChimpReports before President Yoweri Museveni issued a lengthy statement on Monday defending Nuwagaba, Rutabana dismissed reports circulating on social media that Nuwagaba had been tortured at the Rwandan Embassy in Kampala.
“This has never happened and it can never happen,” Rutabana said.
The comments came before Museveni disclosed that Nuwagaba had come under his protection after allegedly being tortured and maimed by “elements in the security services” and said he had ordered a “quiet investigation” into the allegations.
The controversy followed an article by journalist Andrew Mwenda in The Independent, which cited unnamed sources as saying Nuwagaba met Gen. Salim Saleh in Gulu on March 17, 2025, after being referred by human rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo.
According to the publication, Nuwagaba told Saleh he had been tortured by officers of the Chieftaincy of Defence Intelligence and Security (CDIS), naming Maj. Gen. James Birungi and Brig. Abdul Rugumayo, and claimed he was later taken to the Rwandan High Commission in Kampala, where the torture continued.
“We also saw it on social media,” said Rutabana in response to the claims of torture.
Asked about claims that he had also met Nuwagaba at a hotel in Entebbe, Rutabana said: “I don’t know him. Who told you those allegations?”
Museveni with Nuwagaba and DFC Commander, Maj Gen David Mugisha
Informed that our query was part of our investigation into his alleged contact with Nuwagaba, Rutabana observed: “I think you have knocked on the wrong door. I only learnt about that story on social media.”
Torture account
The Independent’s report said Saleh was unconvinced by Nuwagaba’s account and referred him to medical personnel at the UPDF’s 4th Infantry Division in Gulu for examination. It added that Nuwagaba never returned after the referral.
The Independent further reported that Museveni later telephoned Saleh asking why he and his military assistant, Col. James Nkojo, had allegedly abducted and tortured Nuwagaba. Saleh reportedly explained that he had only referred the young man for medical examination, after which Museveni replied: “Ok, let me handle it.”
In a lengthy statement released on Monday, Museveni said Nuwagaba, whom he described as being in his mid-twenties, came to him after allegedly being tortured, maimed and threatened with death by “elements in the security services.”
“Nuwagaba is a young man in his mid-twenties who came to me as a fugitive, a victim of torture and maiming, whom some elements in the Security Services were trying to silence,” Museveni said.
The president disclosed that Nuwagaba had spent months receiving treatment under his care, including medical attention in Uganda and abroad.
“I had to send him to the hospitals in Uganda and abroad to save his life. He seems to have improved, but some of the maiming is still there,” he said.
Museveni said some of those allegedly responsible for torturing Nuwagaba were now facing court proceedings, although he did not provide details of the cases.
