The High Court has ordered the government to compensate LeoNtege with 172 million Shillings after determining that he was subjected to torture and other serious human rights abuses by operatives from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, now operating as Defence Intelligence and Security.
Delivering his judgment, Justice Isaac Bonny Teko ruled that Ntege had successfully demonstrated that his constitutional rights were infringed upon.
He stressed that holding a suspect for more than 48 hours without due process is illegal and reaffirmed that torture remains a grave and non-derogable violation of human dignity.
The judge added that courts have a duty to act decisively whenever state agents engage in unlawful detention, mistreatment, or degrading conduct, in order to safeguard constitutional principles.
According to evidence presented in court, Ntege was arrested in the early hours of July 27, 2021, from his residence in Mutundwe, Masanyalaze Zone. He testified that armed men, who identified themselves as CMI operatives, raided his home at around 3 a.m.
The team, reportedly under the direction of Pastor Sadrack Kaganda, accused him of possessing an illegal firearm. Despite failing to recover any weapon, they seized a number of personal belongings, including electronic devices, travel documents, bank cards, and a driving permit.
Ntege further told the court that he was blindfolded and transported to what he later came to believe was a detention facility within Mbuya military barracks.
During his confinement, he said he endured repeated beatings with wire canes and other forms of severe physical abuse. He also recounted being subjected to torture involving a heavy object tied to his genitals and being denied access to medication for his diabetes, which significantly affected his health.
After spending 25 days in what the court found to be unlawful detention, he was eventually moved to the Police Special Investigations Unit in Kireka.
He testified that the ordeal left him with lasting health complications, including kidney damage and erectile dysfunction, and that he has since incurred medical expenses amounting to 22 million Shillings.
In its defence, the Attorney General’s office denied that Ntege had been held at Mbuya, though it acknowledged his arrest during a joint security operation. It also contended that Pastor Kaganda, as a civilian, lacked authority to command military personnel.
However, Justice Teko dismissed the government’s position, noting that it was not supported by sufficient evidence.
He found Ntege’s testimony to be coherent, detailed, and corroborated by medical and psychological assessments, including reports from the African Centre for Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, which linked his injuries to acts of torture.
The court concluded that the actions described, such as physical assault, blindfolding, incommunicado detention, humiliation, threats, and denial of medical care, amounted to clear violations of constitutional protections.
Pastor Kaganda was also found liable after failing to contest the claims against him. The judge observed that the evidence connecting him to the operation remained uncontested and credible.
As part of the ruling, the court awarded Ntege 22 million Shillings in special damages to cover medical costs and an additional 150 million Shillings in general damages for the suffering he endured.
The government and Pastor Kaganda were jointly ordered to pay the compensation, along with the legal costs.
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