Bobi Wine Leaks Letter from UPDF Intelligence Chief Mabonga to Detained NUP’s Kivumbi
National Unity Platform leader Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, has released a handwritten letter allegedly written by former UPDF intelligence officer Lt. Herbert Matanda Mabonga and addressed to opposition politician Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi.
The letter, photographed on a lined notebook page, contains a message in which the writer claims that Kivumbi was being held at a secret safe house in Entebbe, near State House. The contents have not been independently verified.
The release comes amid renewed allegations concerning secret detention facilities and the treatment of political detainees in Uganda. Mabonga has recently circulated videos and other material that he says expose alleged military detention facilities and mistreatment of detainees. Media reports have noted that the location and circumstances of the footage have not independently been verified, while the UPDF had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of reporting.
What the handwritten letter says
The letter begins:
“Hon, may Allah be with you always. You may not know me now but one time you will.”
The writer then states:
“Am not part of this Abductee group but just know that this is a safe house secretly located in Entebbe near State House.”
The writer assures the recipient that he is safe, saying the people holding him were allegedly attempting to prevent him from influencing the population.
The letter continues by referring to a particular room where “Miria Matembe was put”, alongside other prominent people described as being in disagreement with the government.
The writer then asks the recipient to remain strong and endure the situation temporarily:
“Please withstand the situation, it’s for a short time.”
He further claims that he was on a special assignment to meet the President but says that those holding the recipient had mistakenly accommodated him there.
The most striking passage reads:
“I have seen with my eyes things here. Be strong, ‘One day we shall be free.’”
The writer then instructs the recipient to destroy the message after reading it:
“Please crash this paper after reading it & flash it in toilet.”
At the bottom, the writer warns:
“Never disclose this information until we meet.”
The letter ends with a drawing of a heart and an indication that it would serve as a symbol when the two eventually met.
Mabonga’s wider allegations
The letter comes shortly after Mabonga, who identifies himself as a former UPDF officer and intelligence operative, released material alleging the existence of secret military detention facilities.
Recent reports said videos released by Mabonga appeared to show opposition figures Sam Mugumya and Muwanga Kivumbi inside what he claimed was a military safe house. The reports also stressed that the location, date and circumstances of the recordings had not been independently established.
Mabonga has also alleged that security agencies have been involved in arbitrary arrests, disappearances and torture. He has said that he previously attempted to raise concerns through internal military channels before distancing himself from the UPDF. These remain allegations requiring independent investigation and verification.
The allegations have emerged against a broader backdrop of concerns over the detention of Kivumbi. Human Rights Watch reported in August 2026 that Kivumbi had alleged torture following his detention and called for investigation into his treatment.
Questions surrounding the letter
The handwritten document provides a direct account attributed to Mabonga, but its authenticity, date, exact circumstances of writing and the claims about the alleged safe house have not been independently established
For now, the document remains an alleged first-hand account attributed to Mabonga, whose recent disclosures have intensified public debate over alleged secret detention facilities and the treatment of government critics in Uganda.
