The author was tortured in Uganda - urges Sweden to cut aid

In just over two years, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija has been tortured and imprisoned three times in Uganda.

The first time he clashed with the Ugandan government was after his debut as a writer;

“The Greedy Barbarian” – a satirical novel about an all-powerful dictator, in a corrupt fictional country.

In connection with the book release, he was arrested, imprisoned and tortured.

- I thought I would die.

They regard criticism as hate speech, but as you know, no dictator has so far prevailed against the power of the pen, says Kakwenza Rukirabashiaja.

Awarded by PEN for his courage

After he was released, he wrote about his time in prison in his second novel, “Banana Republic – Where Writing is Treasonous”.

Shortly thereafter, he was arrested and tortured again.

In 2021, Rukirabashaija was awarded the Pinter International Writer of Courage Award by International PEN, for his courage.

Shortly thereafter, he was arrested a third time on charges of disturbing President Yoweri Museveni's security with a Twitter post.

Urges Sweden to cut off aid

Last year, Rukirabashaija managed to flee Uganda when he was released on bail pending trial.

Now he lives in exile in Germany where he is still undergoing treatment for his physical and mental ailments.

He also spends his time urging democratic countries, such as Sweden, to cut ties with the Ugandan government.

- My priority right now is to try to cut aid to Uganda.

I travel around Europe and have conversations with various diplomats, he says.

Sweden's aid to Uganda has grown from SEK 80 million in 1998 to just over SEK 690 million in 2021. One third of the money goes to "Government and civil society".

- If Sweden respects human rights, why rub shoulders with the government in Uganda?

Without funding, he is nothing, says Rukirabashaija.

Kakwenza Rukirabashaija's third book "The Savage avenger" will be released in the spring of 2023.