With every step he takes, Samuel Nuwamanya feels an unbearable pain shoot through his body.
The 33-year-old herdsman from Kirinda Village, Nakaseke District says he can no longer stand for long without feeling like his lower body is detaching from the rest of his body.
Scars beneath his right ear and at the base of his spinal cord tell the story of a night of horror, where he says a soldier from the Special Forces Command (SFC) hammered nails into his body, leaving him permanently scarred.
Nuwamanya, once a hardworking cattle keeper with 30 cows, has lost everything-his wealth, his home, and his ability to fend for his family.
His children have dropped out of school because all his money was spent on medical treatment. Even now, months later, he still lives in fear, saying the soldier’s associates continue to threaten his life.
On December 25, 2023, Nuwamanya was returning from a nearby trading center with some men who worked at a farm managed by Sergeant Medard Besigye.
Along the way, they got into a political argument, which quickly turned heated.
Besigye, who was allegedly dressed in his SFC uniform, stepped in as if to mediate-but what happened next turned into a nightmare.
According to Nuwamanya, the soldier demanded that he hand over his grazing stick.
When he complied, Besigye and his accomplices pounced on him, beating him mercilessly before driving two six-inch nails into his body-one below his right ear that exited from the left side of his head.
As the blood gushed out, they attempted to hammer a third nail into his body. But Besigye’s wife, who was present at the scene, begged for mercy, and they let him go.
Weak and in excruciating pain, Nuwamanya was rushed to a nearby clinic for first aid, but the injuries were too severe.
He was then transferred to Mulago National Referral Hospital, where doctors referred him to Nakasero Hospital for further specialized treatment.
For 10 days, he was admitted at Nakasero before a team of 12 medical specialists from both hospitals convened at Mulago Hospital to perform surgery.
They carefully removed the nails from his spinal cord and head, but the damage was already done.
Despite the treatment, the pain never left. Nuwamanya is now pleading for justice and protection, saying Sergeant Besigye’s associates continue to intimidate him and threaten his life.
He has since fled his home in Nakaseke, living in hiding while struggling with pain and no source of income.
He has appealed to President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the Chief of Defense Forces, General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, to intervene and ensure that he gets justice and medical assistance.
Three weeks after the attack, Sergeant Besigye was arrested and charged with aggravated torture before a Nakaseke Magistrate’s Court.
He is expected to return to court tomorrow for an update on the investigations. The SFC spokesperson, Major Jimmy Omara, confirmed Besigye’s arrest, stating that the law was taking its course.
“The soldier was arrested over an issue which is not related to any military activity. It is something that happened outside the barracks, and he was arrested by police. The due process of the law is taking its course,” said Omara.
Omara added that SFC has no issue with Besigye facing legal consequences, saying, “When he committed the offense, he committed it as an individual, and if it’s before the courts of law, we say yes, let the court continue with its process. We have no problem with it because that’s how it should be.”
In 2019, President Museveni signed the Human Rights Enforcement Bill, criminalizing torture and holding individuals personally liable for such acts. This law was enacted following widespread public outcry over cases of torture in state custody.
Despite these legal protections, Nuwamanya is still waiting for justice-and relief from the pain and suffering that now define his daily life.
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