The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has dismissed allegations made by a junior officer, Lt. Herbert Matanda Mabonga, who released a 30-minute video statement accusing the army of running secret detention facilities, torture, and enforced disappearances. Mabonga, who identifies himself as an intelligence officer formerly attached to the Defence Intelligence and Security Headquarters in Mbuya, published the video on social media on September 30, 2026. In the video, Mabonga claimed he could no longer serve due to conscience over arbitrary arrests, disappearances, kidnappings, abductions, and torture by the security forces.
Mabonga released clips he claimed show opposition figures Sam Mugumya and Muwanga Kivumbi in detention. One clip appears to show Mugumya, a former aide to Dr. Kizza Besigye, struggling to walk around a compound in what looks like a rehabilitation exercise, wearing a yellow campaign T-shirt bearing President Museveni’s image. Sam Mugumya’s whereabouts and condition have been a subject of concern among opposition supporters for years. Mabonga claimed Mugumya was held by the Special Forces Command in Entebbe and tortured to disability.
The location, date, and circumstances in which the recordings were made could not be independently verified. However, the UPDF issued a formal response through Acting Director Defence Public Information Col. Chris Magezi, who described Lt. Mabonga as a deserter and the claims as unsubstantiated rubbish composed of forgeries, doctored images, and concoctions. According to the UPDF, Lt. Mabonga was transferred from the Chieftaincy of Defence Intelligence and Security to the Mountain Infantry Division headquarters in Fort Portal for reassignment in April 2026 but did not report and was declared AWOL, later upgraded to desertion.
Col. Magezi added that Mabonga is wanted over alleged extortion from business groups in Kampala and fraudulent land transactions and forgery of land titles. He described Mabonga as an indisciplined and criminal-minded junior officer who will be arrested and brought to military justice. The UPDF also took note of serious criminal allegations against the institution, the CDF Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, and President Yoweri Museveni, Commander in Chief-CIC.
Mabonga joined the UPDF on August 8, 2011, and served as an aide to the late Gen. Aronda Nyakairima and the late Brig Gen Tom Kabuye Kikoyo. He claimed that he could no longer serve due to the alleged human rights abuses by the security forces. The video statement titled “State of Nation Address on Governance, Security-Intelligence, Corruption and Human Rights in general” sparked a response from the UPDF.
Kivumbi was on September 29, 2026, granted Shs3 million cash bail by the Butambala Grade One Magistrate’s Court on charges of inciting violence and managing an unlawful society, charges he denies. Another clip appears to show a military officer checking Kivumbi’s blood pressure. The UPDF has not provided any evidence to support their claims against Mabonga.
The allegations made by Mabonga have sparked concerns among human rights groups and opposition supporters. The UPDF’s response has also raised questions about the army’s accountability and transparency. The incident has highlighted the need for an independent investigation into the allegations of human rights abuses by the security forces.
Key points
- UPDF brands Lt. Mabonga a deserter and dismisses allegations of secret detention facilities, torture, and enforced disappearances.
- Mabonga released video clips showing opposition figures Sam Mugumya and Muwanga Kivumbi in detention.
- The UPDF accuses Mabonga of extortion, fraudulent land transactions, and forgery of land titles.
