Ronnah Namara, the wife of Eddie Mutwe, is still struggling to come to terms with the trauma of seeing disturbing images of her husband, who was abducted last Sunday under still-unexplained circumstances.
The photos, showing Mutwe with a shaved head, and apparently tortured, were posted online by Chief of Defence Forces, Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba — a move that has sparked outrage.
“When I first saw the image, I thought it was AI-generated. You know how deceptive social media can be these days,” Namara recounted on Saturday. “But then someone told me to look closely at his forehead. I saw the scar… and I just felt weak.”
Namara said she had been deliberately avoiding social media in an effort to protect herself from distressing updates. But once the image found its way to her, the harsh reality of her husband’s situation became inescapable.
Despite the pain, she said she must remain strong for the sake of their children. “If I fall apart, they will fall apart too.”
The emotional weight of the situation has also deeply affected Mutwe’s mother, Jane Nantumbwe, who condemned the public humiliation of her son. “We are crying because of what has been done to my son. It is shameful that he was stripped like that and exposed to the whole world,” she said through tears. “Whoever has him, please bring him back to us.”
Nantumbwe described Mutwe as her last remaining hope. “Eddie is my only son. Just weeks ago, I was in the hospital and he was the one caring for me. He has children, just like you do. As you love your children, we love him.”
Since his arrest, Mutwe has not been arraigned before court, nor have authorities revealed the cause of his arrest. Human rights activists and political leaders have called for his release.
