Human rights lawyer Nicholas Opiyo has offered a rare insider account of his past engagements with Uganda’s military intelligence apparatus, detailing a strategy that prioritized administrative negotiations over immediate litigation in handling alleged abuses.
In a reflective statement, Opiyo said that while working with Chapter Four Uganda, he handled numerous cases involving the then Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI), now rebranded as the Directorate of Intelligence and Security.
Unlike many of his peers, he opted to first pursue internal administrative remedies before turning to courts, which he described as “long, uncertain, and often heavily influenced.”
This approach, he noted, led to repeated face-to-face encounters with senior intelligence officials—interactions he described as tense and adversarial.
“There was no love lost,” Opiyo said, adding that officers often branded him “an agent of foreigners” and “unpatriotic,” accusations he dismissed as he continued to push for accountability.
One of the most contentious cases he handled involved a torture victim allegedly abused by a military officer, Capt. Amis Ainebyonna.
Opiyo claimed the actions were carried out at the behest of high-ranking political figures, including then Speaker of Parliament Anita Among and her husband Moses Magogo.
The case, he added, also drew in a police-linked investigator attached to Parliament at the time.
Opiyo said he escalated the matter through the military chain of command, engaging then Deputy Commandant Brig. Rugumyo before taking it up with his superior, Maj. Gen. Birungi.
External actors, including a senior journalist said to be close to the military leadership, were also involved in attempts to resolve the case.
Despite multiple engagements, Opiyo said the outcome fell short of expectations.
“The matter was never resolved in the manner I had envisioned,” he stated, though the victim eventually accepted what he termed a “half remedy.”
The lawyer further revealed internal dynamics within the intelligence unit, claiming officers often mocked their superior, referring to him as “the cook”—a reference, he said, to a past role in the army.
He linked this to broader concerns about credibility, alleging a pattern of “false terror alarms.”
Opiyo noted that several individuals connected to the case have since faced legal or disciplinary action, with some in detention, others jailed, and a number under house arrest.