The Associated Press reports that Kyadondo East MP Bobi Wine is suffering from severe kidney damage as a result of injuries sustained while in detention. The parliamentarian is currently being treated in Kampala, though the extent of his injuries will likely necessitate more intensive treatment abroad:
Bobi Wine, the Ugandan pop star who opposes the long-time president, has “a kidney problem” that needs urgent medical attention abroad, his lawyer said Wednesday, two days after the singer was freed from detention on crutches.
Ssentamu, through his lawyers and colleagues, has alleged severe torture at the hands of security personnel during his detention.
Another lawmaker arrested alongside Ssentamu, Francis Zaake, is hospitalized with injuries his colleagues describe as serious. The nature of those injuries has not been revealed.
The allegations of torture have angered Ssentamu’s followers, who see him as the victim of government intolerance. The speaker of Uganda’s parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has written to Museveni urging the arrest of alleged perpetrators within the security forces.
In the letter she said that Zaake “remains gravely ill” and Ssentamu “has visible signs of torture and beatings.” Unless the accused officers are arrested and presented in court, she warned, “it will be very difficult to conduct government business” in parliament.