President Yoweri Museveni has issued a lengthy response to veteran journalist Andrew Mwenda over claims that a young man named Stephen Nuwagaba has seized control of State House and security institutions. In an article published in The Independent, Mwenda accused Nuwagaba, a man in his mid-twenties, of blackmailing public officials by threatening to report them to the President, extorting money and spreading false intelligence while claiming proximity to State House. Museveni dismissed the narrative as another of Mwenda’s “schemes.” He said Nuwagaba came to him as a fugitive and victim of torture and maiming by some elements within the security services who were also threatening to kill him. “He has actually been a patient on account of torture and maiming and trauma… for many of the months he has been under my care,” the President wrote. He stated that he arranged treatment for Nuwagaba both in Uganda and abroad. Some of the alleged perpetrators are now facing court charges. Museveni insisted that torture and maiming are “immoral, counter-revolutionary, not strategic and not necessary.” He declared that in 56 years of struggle he has never tortured or ordered the torture of an opponent. He accused Mwenda of focusing on “trivialities” and possibly covering up crimes instead of investigating larger problems such as corruption in the Parish Development Model (PDM) and road projects. The President said a quiet investigation into the matter is already underway. The statement comes amid ongoing public debate over security excesses and accountability. King Musah Media will continue following the exchanges and any official investigations.