Prison is ugly. Even the best prisons of the world are entirely humiliating.
Locked away from family, denied pleasures and comforts of the world especially own scheduling is just too much to bear. But in slowing down time, and forcefully ridding its victims of their own routine, prison has often, unintendedly, made inmates more reflective, and calmer.
Especially for political prisoners, and public intellectuals, prison turns them into philosopher kings: Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, Wole Soyinka, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther Jnr. Nawal El Sadaawi, all braved prison and wrote powerful reflections on life and politics.
It was the first thing Hon. Muwanga Kivumbi said to me when we visited him last week at Kitalya Prison. That prison has given him the chance to calm down, catch up on his reading, and reflect more about the struggle for reform in Uganda.
Indeed, as I’m about to tell you, dear reader, this man was in good spirits and delivered some really eye-opening analyses of our condition. As soon you can imagine, besides simply checking on him, I had many questions for Kivumbi.
Indeed, as soon as the chit-chats ended, I became both moderator and debater of a mini political talk-show. There were a couple other colleagues who often chimed in or modified the questions I was asking. It was edgy sometimes, but Muwanga Kivumbi was calm, incisive and funny.
The most fascinating questions were about the campaign trail and verbal artillery he had unleashed on his friends, especially Hon. Mathius Mpuuga – and how they had looked at each other when Mpuuga visited him in prison.
To all of these questions and curiosities, Kivumbi defended his positions convincingly, and theoretically concluded, “We were all victims of the same dictatorial machine.”
On that note, I challenged him whether he thought there was any genuine (electoral) political opposition left in the country or it was just a matter of time for the ruins of time to expose them.
“How easy is it to tell between Yellow and Red or Yellow and Green especially that everyone has a deceptive jacket on?” I asked.
We argued a bit, but then agreed that protracted struggles tend to embarrass hitherto genuine strugglers – a point I have made plenty of times, especially when a new crossover is publicly announced.
But it was when we started talking about the tragic events in Butambala on election night that Kivumbi emerged as a man who indeed had given this thing plenty of thought. He would say, sombrely, pointedly, that opposition groups were now dealing with the NRA/M’s last line of defence. It is definitely lethal and dangerous, but was the last.
FROM PEASANTS, NRA CADRES TO SFC
Spelling out a thesis that revolutions have to have layers/lines of defence before reaching Namunswa, Kivumbi demonstrated that NRA/M had depleted its most secure layers.
As member of the Uganda Young Democrats in the 1990s, Kivumbi told that when they went in the villages to campaign for candidate Paul Kawanga Ssemogerere, it was the peasants and Jua-Kali workers – the first line of defence – that would chase them from their villages, singing the goodness of NRA/Yoweri Museveni.
Museveni was their man. (Fast forward, 2021, 2026, peasants are carrying chicken to Bobi Wine campaign rallies). In the 2000-2016 interval, the peasants had been thoroughly disappointed.
Opposition groups then started battling with NRA cadres, and the NRM elite – the second line of defence. These famously included John Nagenda, David Mafabi, Jaberi Bidandi Ssali, Odrek Rwabwogo (who used to write that column, “Ideology”, in New Vision).
Some still active cadres include Tony Owana, Ofwono Opondo, and newer recruits, Andrew Mwenda, Marcela Karekye, Obed Katureebe, and Allan Kasujja. Notice that nowadays, even pro-NRM voices have become less active.
Yes, they too have been generously disappointed or find it embarrassing defending 40 years of ruin. Hon. Kivumbi continued that in the period beginning 2016- onwards, opposition forces are engaging directly with the NRM inner circle – their last line of defence: the Deep State.
These include units such as SFC, JATT, CMI, and our co-president brother Gen. Salim Saleh himself. But with the exception of Gen. Salim Saleh – negotiator and underground deal-cutter – the others are not into much talking.
They understand raw power, force. As the incarcerated legislator concluded, these are more lethal and dangerous – and we’ll have to brave them – but after them, there is nothing left. As we left Kitalya Prison, I couldn’t stop thinking about Kivumbi’s analysis.
I recalled my peasant father who summoned my elder brothers during the 1996 election and warned them against voting for candidate Ssemogerere.
“You don’t know where Museveni has got us from,” he had said. He did the same in 2001. But in the 2006 election, he gathered all of us and asked us to vote for Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye. He had had enough.
IRENE NAKIBUUKA
This analysis of dealing with the more lethal and utterly ruthless NRM’s last line of defence coincided with the death of Irene Nakibuuka from Ntwetwe in Kyankwanzi.
As per her tragic story, Nakibuuka had been kidnapped by a patrol of soldiers on election day – only to be released after a month of detention. Standing on the streets in Kampala, she had been talking about the potential victory of their president, Robert Kyagulanyi, when she got kidnapped.
Her tormentors, speaking in Kiswahili amongst themselves, would often tell them, they were being battered to understand that government was not a joke! Before her death, she said they had injected chemicals into her body, which had substantially weakened her.
The captors became merciful and allowed them to go after appearing so fragile. Nakibuuka is only lucky to have given her story to AGORA Discourses before her death. But where is Sam Mugumya? Why are Dr Kizza Besigye and Hajji Lutale still in Luzira? Why?
Yes, it is the last line of defence in charge, and has no time for words.
yusufkajura@gmail.com
What we know about 22 year old Nakibuuka Irene that died yesterday; on March 9th, @yubdenis1 shared a TikTok video where Irene was saying she was kidnapped by security officers on January 15, the day Uganda went to the polls. She said she was found with other girls talking about… pic.twitter.com/FYYH5pOYwY
— Agather Atuhaire (@AAgather) April 6, 2026
The author is a political theorist based at Makerere University.
40 yrs always the limit. NRM dynasty ended many years ago. Dr. Besigye was the first to break off, followed by NRM mastermind- Hon. Mbabazi, and now minor cliques. NRM is divided into; Kaguta, Mbabazi,Besigye and minor cliques. When Sevos takes his last breath which is happening very soon, the Kaguta family will be history just as Dr.Obote (RIP) family is history. Most of the NRMs are hanging on the walls waiting for the building to collapse then jump off. History reminds us that no one wants to associate with any past presidents. Muhoozi might try to carry the mantle of “the Kaguta” thou he will be smoked out by his own people/family. Uncle Saleh as always will do the deal breaking with whatever person Ugandans prefer. Here is where Bobi has a greater advantage as an outsider, likable and has tasted the tides. I see Bobi walking into power like King David.
Gaslighter Yusuf, can you tell us where the hell is Janet Museveni, since you claim to know whatever goes on with the hyenas in the State house and those on the street ( those in the opposition), who are just waiting for the military junta to fall and cause chaos?
While you are at it, have you ever traded sexual favor for better grades from one of your students? To be continued…
Lysol one can see where you are going as a very holly man. You asking the where about of Lady M7, she too did trade favours to obtain academic excellence. Stop patronising this journalist so that he can keep quiet for ever. You had a very good question to ask the whereabout of the First Lady of this country. You are asking the wrong person unless you are insinuating that the journalist sleeps where the First Lady sleeps! The last of the political party of NRM is in its own making. The misery in the hospitals, schools, welfare, and the ministry of works is enough to tell anyone that after 45 years of governance and counting, the NRM ideology is on its way downward and out. Buganda madaala, balinya bakka! For heavens sake in the culture of the Ganda tribes people, when a husband has a bedridden sick wife, he calls out or receives visitors for consolations. Even the enemies confounded send condolences. Poor Kyagulanyi did send his NUP condolences. One wants to ask what sort of African culture is NRM that stops friends of prisoners to pray for them in their predicament. The refusal of an African prisoner on bail not to go and bury his dead wife is out of the civilization of this world. What sort of African culture is the government of NRM that breaks all sorts of rule of law and does not pronounce the progress of the medical treatment of the First Lady of this country who is also a Minister in that government who has been paid by the tax payers of this country for ages? One believes that as a bedridden civil servant, she is receiving all the medical privilege under the sun that millions of citizens in this poor country only dream about if they ever get very sick!!
“One wants to ask what sort of African culture is NRM that stops friends of prisoners to pray for them in their predicament”. It’s Bachezi clan, embedded in Nalubaale/Lubaale. I believe Alex Waiswa must have uncovered hidden shrine(s) of Museveni in Busoga. If Ugandans serious want deliverance from Museveni, we have to first deliver the souls of our ancestors that Sevo uses to hold many captive. Without that we are wasting time.
Gaslighter Yusuf can find another line of work in order to earn a living, instead of gaslighting some of us. They say, “those who can’t do, teach.” There is money in farming like growing matooke. Yusuf should consider that.
Doc, you claim prison gave him space to ‘reflect on the struggle for reform.’ I respectfully, but vehemently, disagree. After 40 years of entrenched rule, where is our last line of defense?
The reality is the polar opposite of your assessment. We aren’t dealing with a political party (NRM); we are facing a state captured by a single man, his family, and a militant inner circle that grows more lethal and more greedy by the day. This isn’t a system that needs ‘fixing’—it is a system that needs to be replaced.
The word ‘reform’ is the ultimate red flag. Reform implies improving or correcting an existing structure. By using that word, Muwanga Kivumbi is suggesting that this autocratic regime can be ‘made better.’ That is a delusion. Uganda doesn’t need to polish a broken system; we need fundamental Change.
The opposition, including Kyagulanyi, continues to lead the public into the slaughterhouse of ‘bogus and violent elections’ under the guise of reform. It’s a bait-and-switch—what Kyagulanyi calls a ‘protest vote’ is actually a calculated move to keep the opposition’s hands in the taxpayer’s cookie jar. Instead of drawing a hard line and demanding an end to the regime, they have settled for the comfort of the status quo. They don’t want to topple the system; they just want to be the ones managing it.
“The opposition, including Kyagulanyi, continues to lead the public into the slaughterhouse of ‘bogus and violent elections’ under the guise of reform. It’s a bait-and-switch” Lysol you have a point indeed. Now that the voters were very much encouraged by the Uganda opposition to participate in well known dodgy national elections one has seen Tik Tok videos of NUP abusing and kicking ass the electorate as they continuosly complain about the dismantling of temporary retailing markets and land and habitant property ownership that is being done brutally and anyhow by unelected and undemocratic former government of NRM! NRM as an electoral criminal political party is presently dangling tax payers money to the compromised opposition to attend parliament again as minority political parties! You know Lysol if the opposition did not participate in these bygone expensive and commercialised national elections, there would not be any case to answer for them in the courts of law of Uganda even if they are afterward thrown into the M7Nick!!
Somewhere in the neighborhood , Alleluah writes an interesting article.
She says ” disease of the mind ” renders a person incapable of understanding what they were/ are doing .
I supplement that “disease of the mind” manifests itself in more ways than just committing a hideous crime , like the one in Ggaba.
Anyone who shows signs that they do not understand the impropriety of their actions , decisions , utterances and their consequences has to be one with ” disease of the mind” issues.
You may use your power to humiliate dead bodies , or relentlessly assassinate peoples character. go on kicking someone who you consider to be already out etc ; if you can`t stop yourself from stepping out of your alexithymia or your lack of emotional intelligent , you TOO are no different from throat-cutters- the only difference is in degrees .
In a dictatorship, it’s common for the regime’s agents to use mental disorders and credentials fallacy to silent the opposing voices.
True empathy like respect cannot be demanded. It’s like demanding morality to meet the expectation of a certain society or a certain group of people.