IN SHORT: A photo is circulating on Facebook with users claiming that it shows Ugandan journalist David Mwesigwa being arrested after questioning president Yoweri Museveni about poor hospital conditions. But Mwesigwa has not been arrested. The photo actually shows murder suspect Nicholas Kiiza.
In September 2025, just days after Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni was confirmed to stand in the country’s 2026 general elections, journalist David Mwesigwa publicly questioned him about the deteriorating state of health facilities in Mukono and Kayunga districts.
Following this, prime minister Robinah Nabbanja reportedly ordered the police to summon Mwesigwa. This was after she personally visited Mukono General Hospital, located about 21 kilometres east of the capital Kampala, and admitted that it was in a dire state, as Mwesigwa had described.
The incident rekindled national debate about Uganda’s healthcare crisis. At Mukono hospital, complaints of overcrowding, equipment shortages, and poor service delivery have persisted for years.
It is in this context that a photo is circulating on Facebook with the claim that it shows Mwesigwa being arrested. Another photo attached to the post shows Nabbanja, while the third one is of patients seated on the floor of an overcrowded hospital ward.
According to the post’s caption, Nabbanja personally toured Mukono General Hospital, saw expectant mothers lying on the floor, and allegedly remarked that the overcrowding was “a sign doctors are working”.
The post further claims she ordered the journalist’s arrest for “embarrassing” the president and forcing him to apologise.
Similar posts have been published here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But does the photo really show Mwesigwa in handcuffs? We checked.
Photo captures murder suspect’s arrest, not Mwesigwa
There are no reports from credible news outlets regarding Mwesigwa’s alleged arrest. If that were the case, it would’ve made headlines.
A Google reverse image search of the handcuffed man reveals that he is Nicholas Kiiza, a murder suspect arrested after the death of his wife and daughter in August 2025.
The whereabouts of Mwesigwa are unknown, as he reportedly went into hiding in late September.
The photo and the claim have also been published here, here, here, here, here and here.
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