From Mortuary to Exile: Luzige Masuudi ‘s Ordeal Exposes Uganda’s Political Terror

By Alexander Luyima | The Hoima Post

A red t-shirt and a head of dreadlocks were enough to mark 20-year-old Luzige Masuudi for death. On the evening of November 18, 2020, what began as an act of political expression nearly ended in a cold mortuary drawer, exposing a brutal campaign of state-sponsored violence designed to silence dissent in Uganda.

The Attack: A Targeted Assassination Attempt

According to the National Unity Platform (NUP), Masuudi was identified by security forces solely for wearing the red colors of the then-People Power movement. The attack was swift and brutal.

“A police patrol truck stopped him,” recounted Hon. Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine). “One of them cocked the gun and shot him through the mouth.”

Eyewitnesses confirmed the presence of the police truck and the sound of gunfire, but a climate of fear prevented them from intervening. As Masuudi lay wounded, a second shot was fired into his back. Security operatives then collected his body, presuming him dead, and transported him to the Mulago Hospital mortuary to be stored among the deceased.

The Miracle: A Second Chance at Life

Masuudi’s story, however, was not over. In a chilling turn of events, a mortuary attendant noticed movement among the corpses. It was Masuudi, clinging to life. The attendant’s quick action in alerting hospital staff snatched the young man from the jaws of death, and he was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit.

His survival was a miracle, but his ordeal was far from over.

The Aftermath: Intimidation and Exile

Upon his recovery, senior police officers allegedly descended upon Masuudi, alternating between intimidation and offers of bribes to buy his silence. Defiant, he took his story public, recounting the harrowing experience at the NUP headquarters.

This act of courage made him a target once more, forcing him to flee to Kenya. There, he lived in a refugee camp, joining a growing community of persecuted Ugandan exiles, including the late activist Marinos Alexandros Nuyiga.

A Pattern of Violence, A Crisis of Accountability

Masuudi’s case is not isolated. It is a stark data point in a well-documented pattern of political violence in Uganda. This pattern includes:

• The abduction and torture of NUP supporter John Bosco Kibalama.

• The killing of Ritah Nabukenya in Luwero during the 2021 elections.

• The disappearance of over 1,000 NUP supporters, abducted in unmarked vans.

Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana, Chairperson of the Uganda Human Rights Commission, has himself confirmed the prevalence of enforced disappearances and torture, highlighting an urgent need for security sector reform that has gone unheeded.

A Call for International Reckoning

The evidence in Masuudi’s case—his testimony, corroborating accounts, the mortuary attendant’s intervention, and the subsequent intimidation—presents an undeniable challenge to the international community. His story moves beyond a demand for local accountability, which has proven elusive, to a plea for global action. This includes targeted sanctions against perpetrators, arms embargoes, and the diplomatic isolation of those responsible for these crimes.

Now receiving medical treatment in the United States, Luzige Masuudi is a testament to human resilience. But his survival is also a stark indictment of a regime and a cry for help that can no longer be ignored.

Share this account. Break the wall of silence.
#JusticeForLuzige #FreeUgandaNow #DictatorshipInUganda

Source: The Hoima Post | By Alexander Luyima, based on verified NUP documentation and victim testimony.