Anytime soon, Kakwenza Rukirabashiaja will be Shs 50 million richer if government respects a High Court decision to compensate the author for gross violation of his rights.
Yet the question is: Will this money bring back his dignity or heal the wounds of his pain?
Kakwenza was arrested and whipped accross the back like a slave in 202o over his opinions and satirical books.
He fled the country in 2021 but sued the Attorney General over torture, incommunicado detention, and unlawful search and seizure of his property.
In the ruling, Justice Boniface Wamala found that the actions of security officers who detained Kakwenza were illegal and in violation of his constitutional rights to personal liberty, privacy, and freedom from torture.
The court heard that Kakwenza was held incommunicado for seven days, during which he was beaten, blindfolded, and subjected to waterboarding and other forms of torture.
“His captors also forced him to reveal passwords to his social media accounts, which were accessed during brutal interrogations,” Wamala said.
The judge said the treatment of Kakwenza amounted to “torture, cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment” and infringed on his right to privacy by conducting searches without a warrant.
Kakwenza was awarded Shs40 million in general damages and an additional Shs10 million in exemplary damages, citing the high-handed and unconstitutional behavior of the security officers involved.
Kakwenza remains an outspoken critic of government even in exile in Germany.