When Handcuffs Become Government Policy
Inside Uganda’s Politics of Fear, Silence, and Unlawful Detention.
11 Dec, 2025
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They say the law is blind,
but in this country,
the law sees too well—
It sees your party colours,
your hairstyle,
your tone of voice,
and decides whether you sleep at home
or in a cell that smells of forgotten promises.
Here, arbitrary arrest is not an accident—
It is a strategy.
A national pastime.
A political tool is polished every election season
like a trophy of fear.
Walk with a red beret?
Arrest.
Stand near a rally?
Arrest.
Think too loudly?
Arrest.
Dream of a country that works?
My friend, that one is life imprisonment.
Our police have become fortune-tellers—
They arrest you for crimes
you haven’t even imagined committing.
Preventive detention, they call it.
But we all know:
It’s anxiety management for a state
afraid of its own citizens.
Even the handcuffs are tired—
asking themselves,
“Must we clasp another innocent wrist today?”
But duty calls,
and tyranny never sleeps.
They pick up journalists
as if they were firewood.
They pluck activists
like feathers from a bird.
They disappear opposition members
with the efficiency of a magician
who hates applause.
Meanwhile, the Constitution
sits in the corner,
crying softly,
whispering,
“I wrote all your freedoms—
Why won’t you read me?”
But listen—
A nation is waking up.
A new generation is cleaning its throat.
A voice is rising from Kasese to Karamoja,
from Gulu to Masaka,
saying:
We are tired of fear being government policy.
Tired of prisons being political offices.
Tired of justice arriving in body bags.
One day,
the truth will knock—
And this time it will not be arrested.
One day,
the people will rise—
And no tear gas will choke the sunrise.
Because even in this land
where freedom sleeps with one eye open,
Hope is stubborn.
Hope is defiant.
Hope refuses to be detained.
About the author
Abdullatif Eberhard Khalid (The Sacred Poet) is a Ugandan passionate award-winning poet, Author, educator, writer, word crosser, scriptwriter, essayist, content creator, storyteller, orator, mentor, public speaker, gender-based violence activist, hip-hop rapper, creative writing coach, editor, and a spoken word artist. He offers creative writing services and performs on projects focused on brand/ campaign awareness, luncheons, corporate dinners, date nights, product launches, advocacy events, and concerts, he is the founder of The Sacred Poetry Firm, which helps young creatives develop their talents and skills. He is the author of Confessions of a Sinner, Vol. 1, A Session in Therapy, and Confessions of a Sinner, Vol. 2. His poems have been featured in several poetry publications, anthologies, blogs, journals, and magazines. He is the editor of Whispering Verses, Kirabo Writes magazine issue 1 and edits at Poetica Africa.
