After three weeks of incarceration at Luzira Prison, Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura has finally been released on non-cash bail.
In a statement posted on X, she described her experience in prison as harsh and unjust, revealing that she and her co-accused were subjected to solitary confinement for three days and forced to use a bucket as a toilet.
Doreen Nyanjura stated that their ordeal began when they refused to wear clothes of unknown origin, which prison authorities insisted they put on before appearing in court.
Instead, they opted for their own royal blue blouses, but these were also rejected. The Officer in Charge (OC) allegedly ordered that they wear different colors instead of a uniform.
She further criticized the manner in which their case was handled, revealing that on February 25, the magistrate extended their remand without giving them a chance to present their side, relying only on the statements of prison warders.
While in solitary confinement, Nyanjura and her colleagues were instructed to write apology letters to the OC to be released from isolation.
Their first joint statement was rejected, and they were ordered to write individual apologies, which they refused to do, standing firm against what they described as unfair punishment.
Describing solitary confinement as a brutal horror, Nyanjura emphasized that they endured the experience without breaking.
Despite the initial resistance from prison authorities, they appeared in court today wearing the same royal blue blouses that had previously been rejected.
She expressed gratitude for the solidarity from human rights activists, legal teams, and supporters.
She reaffirmed her commitment to the struggle, announcing that they have even composed new songs and will soon be heading to the studio.
Read Her Full X Post Below
After three weeks in detention, we were finally granted non cash bail today morning. While in prison, we were put under solidarity confinement for three days and a bucket was provided as our toilet. Our crime was refusing to put on clothes of unknown origin that we were being forced to put on so that we are produced in court. The branded political tshirts aside, we had our royal blue blouses which were equally rejected, the OC ordered that we all must dress in different colors and not a uniform. On 25th Feb 2025, the Magistrate without hearing our side but the lies of the prison warders further remanded us until today, 10 Mar 2025🤔
Meanwhile to leave solitary confinement, we were instructed to write an apology to the OC, the first “apology” that we jointly wrote was rejected by the OC on grounds that we didn’t write an apology but a statement. The OC then instructed that we each separately write our apology letters to her, We stood our ground and maintained that we were being unfairly punished for committing absolutely no crime!
People, The entire experience of solidarity confinement was brutal beyond description, it is a horror that if one had a choice would never wish to encounter.
N’how, Long story short, we today came to court with the royal blue blouses that were two weeks ago rejected by the prison authorities and the world didn’t come to an end.
I am grateful for all the efforts and solidarity by all change seeking forces, human rights activists, the legal team and our relatives. Your unwavering support and solidarity kept us going. We are not about to give up or surrender. We are hardened and not crushed. We have as a matter of fact composed more songs for the struggle and we are hitting the studios soon.
