Mr. Ongom Chris Odongo is a UPDF soldier, a pharmacist by profession aged 27 years and attached to Lunyo Army Barracks in Entebbe which was recently renamed Kambarage Nyerere in recognition of the late Tanzanian leader.
Odongo is one of the State House medical personnels and a grandson to Professor Kajabago Karusoke (Lecturer at Nkyankanzi Leadership Institute).
On the 8/5/2014 Odongo was reportedly arrested by UPDF’s elite Special Forces Command (SFC) on allegations that he had unprofessionally complained about his superiors’ mishandling of medicine procurement and medicine misappropriation.
The soldier was blind folded, taken to a safe house, and his testis was clashed using a pair of pliers. The bones in his two middle fingers were also clashed using the same pair of pliers.
The clashing of his testis and the swollen bladder has had an effect on his left Kidney which is enlarging each day that passes as he now passes heavily blood stained urine.
Medical investigations done by one of the doctor’s at the UPDF’s Special Forces Command Medical Department at Entebbe has revealed that his life is in danger and on 13/6/2014 he was referred for immediate review and surgery at Bombo Military Hospital to save his life.
The leadership at Kambarage Nyerere Barracks led by Lieutenant Henry has since denied him permit to leave the uniport in the barracks where he is being detained for treatment as per the referral.
Last week the Uganda Catholic Lawyers’ Society were given instructions by the relatives of the suspects to defend and fight for his rights and ensure that he gets permit to leave the barracks for treatment but on four occasions the lawyers have been denied access to him.
No body is allowed to access him. Neither his wife, nor his relatives, doctor nor his lawyers are allowed to access him. In contravention of the Constitution, Ongom was arrested and detained in custody beyond the constitutionally prescribed period of 48 hours without being produced before a court of law, access to his lawyer, medical attention and next of kin have been denied and his detention is in a filthy uniport in an ungazetted Military barracks, contrary to Articles 23, 28 and 44(c) of the Constitution.
General Katumba Wamala as the head of this institution (UPDF) we call for your intervention in this matter to save this young-man’s life that is currently in danger.
Ends