Waltham resident reports being tortured while held in Uganda 

A few months after his release from kidnappers in his native Uganda, Waltham resident Charles “Muvawala” Bukenya released a statement detailing a firsthand account of his abduction and torture in Uganda.

Bukenya, who is vice president of the Ugandan North American Association, shared his experience of being seized by armed men in Kampala on March 5 in a message to UNAA supporters.

He said he was accused of funding political activities linked to the Ugandan political party known as National Unity Platform, subjected to repeated beatings and forcibly injected with unknown substances that left him unconscious multiple times.

He said his abductors confiscated $3,000 he had intended for his son’s hospital bills and dumped him — brutally beaten and half-naked — nearly 300 miles away in Buliisa District. He was eventually rescued by a truck driver and taken to safety, before receiving medical care at the U.S. Embassy in Uganda.

Bukenya’s testimony underscores the severe risks facing Ugandans involved with or supporting the opposition movement led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine. His detailed account has added fresh urgency to local efforts calling for the United States to re-evaluate its support for the Ugandan government and for the broader international community to pay attention to political repression in Uganda.

While Bukenya is still recovering from injuries that have kept him from returning to Massachusetts, his message has galvanized the local community. Activists in Massachusetts have said his ordeal is emblematic of the threats faced by those advocating for democratic change in Uganda. They also vowed to continue speaking out for justice and human rights.