Makerere student tortured over ‘spying’ for Rwanda

By Andrew M. Mwenda

According to reliable sources, Kasekende was subjected to brutal interrogations during which he was asked about his links with the PRA rebel group, the Rwanda government and opposition politicians in Uganda, especially those in FDC

Kampala

MR Ronald Kasekende, a student of Urban Planning at Makerere University, has been under military detention since last October.
His detention follows his arrest on allegations of selling intelligence information to Rwanda.

Sources told Daily Monitor that Kasekende, who was arrested on October 3 by the Presidential Guard Brigade (PGB), has been under constant torture, mainly through beatings.

He has been subjected to torture at the hands of the PGB, the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), and later Military Police at Makindye barracks.
According to smuggled notes from prison, which are collaborated by leaked information from within the PGB, and information from his father Tony Musisi, Kasekende can no longer stand or walk unaided.

Sources said the PGB leadership was aware of Kasekende's case, but Col. Leopold Kyanda, who was Commanding Officer of the elite brigade at the time, did not return Daily Monitor's telephone calls.
Kyanda is now CMI chief.

‘Injured legs’
Internal Affairs Minister Ruhakana Rugunda told Daily Monitor yesterday that Kasekende was not tortured, but injured his leg while he was trying to escape from detention.
Kasekende has not been charged with any offence, but Dr Rugunda said he would soon be produced in court and charged according to the law.

IMPLICATED: Mwenda

SPY? Kalyegira

The minister said Kasekende was in detention for spying and selling information to another country.
PGB sources told Daily Monitor that Kasekende was found in possession of confidential Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces (UPDF) documents.
PGB claimed he was passing on secrets to Rwandan intelligence services.

According to reliable sources, Kasekende was subjected to brutal interrogations during which he was asked about his links with the rebel Peoples Redemption Army (PRA), the Rwanda government and opposition politicians in Uganda, especially those in the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

He was also reportedly asked about his links with journalists; Andrew Mwenda, Timothy Kalyegira and Blake Lambert.
According to information smuggled out of jail, Kasekende's interrogators tried to force him to sign a confession claiming that Mwenda, Kalyegira and Lambert were the ones providing him information to give to Rwanda, British and American intelligence services.

After a 10 days' detention inside a room in the President's office at Parliamentary Buildings, and an illegal detention facility run by PGB on Mutungo Hill, Kasekende was transferred to Kololo.

There, he was placed under another illegal detention facility run by the Joint Anti Terrorism Taskforce (JATT).
In Kololo, he found over 30 other suspects arrested on allegations of terrorism - some accused of being members of what the government claims to be a dead organisation, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group.

Other suspects were accused of being members of PRA or Rwandan spies.
Among the suspected Rwandan spies under detention was Pte Francis Kato, a staff of CMI under the Directorate of Counter Intelligence, who had worked with Col. Edson Muzoora in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Escaped
Muzoora later escaped from Uganda and, according to the government, went to Rwanda where he allegedly joined hands with other renegade colonels Samson Mande and Anthony Kyakabale in PRA.
Kato refused to confess that he was a spy for Rwanda and PRA.

Intelligence sources said the arrest, illegal detention and torture of Rwandan nationals or Ugandans allegedly working for Rwanda has been orchestrated by a special desk for Rwanda at CMI codenamed Kirandi.

Kasekende made a daring escape by jumping over the wall of the detention facility in Kololo and landing into the compound of Danish ambassador Stig Barlyng (see related story on page 1).

However, a joint PGB-CMI squad invaded the ambassador's residence, overpowered his police guards and recaptured Kasekende who was returned to the detention facility.
Kasekende's ordeal is said to have worsened following his re-arrest.
He was beaten and subjected to several forms of torture.
Today, he cannot walk or stand unaided.
However, Kasekende's attempted escape exposed an illegal detention centre to a western ambassador.

A few days later, on February 22, all the detainees were transferred to different illegal detention centres around Kampala and the country.
Kasekende, a civilian, was transferred to Makindye Military Police barracks for continued detention.

A February 21 letter from Maj. Abdul Rugumayo, the Deputy Chief of Military Intelligence, to the Commanding Officer of Military Police, said that Kasekende, Kato and one Corporal Kidamba should be detained incommunicado.
The letter is titled "High Profile Prisoners".
Rugumayo claimed that the three should be held that way because President Yoweri Museveni had an interest in the matter.

At Makindye
At Makindye Military Police, Kasekende was held at the main quarter guard where they have notorious special detention rooms.
As had happened on December 30, 2005, the ICRC came visited the prisons at Makindye on March 7.
This time, the three (Kasekende, Kidamba and Kato) were transferred to CMI headquarters for the whole day.

They were brought back to Makindye late in the evening in a blue Delica omnibus, impeccable sources said.
On March 9, the three were taken away blindfolded, this time to an unknown illegal detention facility.
Kato and Kasekende were reportedly tortured after they refused to appear at a press conference to implicate now deported Canadian journalist Blake Lambert in intelligence gathering.

Now at Kigo Prison
They are currently detained at Kigo Prison.
Kasekende's father Musisi first heard the ordeal of his son when this reporter first read it out on the radio show, Tonight With Andrew Mwenda Live on 93.9 KFM.
He went to Makindye three times to see his son, but Military Police refused to grant him access.

Instead, he was threatened with arrest if he continued going to the barracks.
Musisi contacted the ICRC.
The ICRC went to Makindye twice and the Military Police denied them access to Kasekende. Finally, Musisi met his son at Kigo Prison on Monday.
He was told Kasekende would be taken to the unknown Uganda Disciplinary Court in Mbuya military barracks where he would be charged with treachery.