Tanzanian Police Stripped and Took Naked Photos of Ugandan Activist Agather, Officer Who Ordered Torture Identified

Kampala, Uganda — Ugandan human rights activist Agather Atuhaire has returned home to Kampala after enduring four days of brutal detention in Tanzania, during which she was blindfolded, stripped naked, photographed without consent, and subjected to verbal and physical abuse by Tanzanian authorities.

The ordeal has sparked regional outrage and renewed calls for accountability in cross-border enforcement actions.

Agather Atuhaire moments after being dumped by the tanzisn authorities.

According to a statement by Agora Discourse, Atuhaire was illegally detained without charge and denied access to communication or legal assistance.

She was held incommunicado, deprived of food, and had all her personal belongings including her phone and money confiscated.

After days of mistreatment, she was dumped at 2 a.m. near the Mutukula border, roughly two kilometers from Uganda, with no transport or means to reach safety.

A Good Samaritan eventually helped her return home.

Atuhaire, who is now receiving medical attention, described the abuse as “inhumane and degrading,” alleging that Tanzanian police took nude photos of her while she was stripped and blindfolded.

Her account is corroborated by fellow activist and photojournalist Boniface Mwangi, who was also detained and later released.

Mwangi publicly identified Faustin Mafwele, a Tanzanian official, as the officer who ordered the torture.

Faustin Mafwele.

In a chilling post, Mwangi stated that Mafwele threatened to rape Atuhaire and impregnate her to “give her a daughter” because she is a mother of two boys.

Mafwele allegedly made the call that resulted in the pair being picked up and tortured at the Central Police Station in Dar es Salaam.

He is also accused of confiscating books and issuing threats based on politically motivated misinformation.

Mwangi further claimed that the torture was influenced by a smear campaign originating in Kenya, implicating cross-border cooperation in the abuse.

Prominent Kenyan lawyer and politician Martha Karua has demanded answers from Tanzanian authorities, questioning Mafwele’s affiliation with Tanzanian police and calling for a regional inquiry into the unlawful detention and torture.

Advocacy groups are calling for an immediate investigation by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the East African Community.

Despite the trauma, Atuhaire has vowed to continue her advocacy work. “This ordeal was meant to break me,” she said in a brief statement to friends. “But I refuse to be silenced.”