By Our Reporter
Kampala, Uganda – In a stunning twist of events, the former spokesperson of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), D/ASP Charles Twine, once the face of the Uganda Police Force’s public relations machinery, has been charged with eight criminal offences, including hate speech, incitement to violence, and conspiracy to commit a felony.
Twine, who is currently deployed at the Parliament of Uganda, appeared on Thursday, May 22, 2025, before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court, flanked by co-accused Noah Mutwe—a known activist aligned with the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP). The charges, according to a charge sheet seen by this publication, stem from computer-generated messages containing harsh criticism and derogatory remarks targeting Uganda’s top political and security figures.
Among those allegedly attacked in Twine’s digital dispatches are President Yoweri Museveni, First Son Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, and former Chief of Defence Intelligence Gen James Birungi. Twine is accused of calling Gen Muhoozi “a fat pig and a crook,” describing Gen Birungi as “a killer and a crook,” and branding Speaker Among “a rotten human being” who sponsors violence in Bukedea District. The Deputy Speaker wasn’t spared either—Twine allegedly labeled Tayebwa “a money launderer and fraudster.”
Authorities say the content of these messages was calculated to cause public ridicule and incite unrest, especially among younger, digitally active Ugandans. In one of the most damning charges, Twine is accused of inciting Noah Mutwe to commit violence against Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
The arrest came after Twine reportedly vanished during official parliamentary duty in Mbarara. His disappearance triggered a search led by the Inspector General of Police, culminating in a raid on his home on Wednesday, May 21. He was arrested and brought to court the following day. Investigations remain ongoing.
Twine the Loyalist: Turning Against the Machine He Once Defended?
The charges have ignited a firestorm of speculation. Is Twine a fallen loyalist who betrayed the very system he served, or was he a closet dissenter who masked his frustrations with the regime behind the badge until he couldn’t anymore?
Twine rose to national prominence during the 2020/21 election cycle—one of Uganda’s most turbulent periods—where he became the regime’s chief apologist for the security forces amid allegations of torture, abductions, and extra-judicial killings. His eloquent defense of the Uganda Police earned him both admiration from regime loyalists and scorn from the opposition.
In one particularly chilling tweet during that time, Twine declared:
“When the fabric of society is torn asunder by the brutal hands of extremism, the iron fist of order must be wielded to restore the fragile balance of justice.”
In another, he warned:
“Social media provocateurs, beware! Hoping to ride the waves of chaos to political fame? Uganda Police that I proudly serve is now more sagacious than ever… Genuine leaders build bridges, not burn them.”
And yet today, he stands accused of the very provocations he once vowed to suppress.
Cracks in the Armour: A Chilling Message to Other Security Operatives
Twine’s downfall has sent ripples across Uganda’s security establishment. If a man so entrenched in the system—so trusted that he was deployed to Parliament—can be turned into a defendant in such a high-profile case, then who is truly safe? His arrest has left many wondering: is this a purging of “undesirables” within the force, or the beginning of a deeper rift between career officers and a regime growing increasingly paranoid?
One senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity remarked, “If Twine can fall like this, maybe no one is safe. Today it’s him, tomorrow it could be any of us. We don’t know what he knew or who he crossed.”
A Case of Betrayal—or a Long Game to Challenge Power from Within?
What remains unclear is Twine’s motivation. Did he have a genuine change of heart, having seen the inner rot of the system he once so passionately defended? Was his recent conduct a misguided outburst, or a calculated act of resistance from someone who understood the regime’s weak spots intimately?
Whichever the truth, one thing is clear: Charles Twine’s saga is no ordinary fall from grace. It is a cautionary tale of power, loyalty, and the blurry lines between duty and dissent in a regime where today’s loyalist could be tomorrow’s enemy of the state.
As the legal proceedings unfold, Uganda watches closely: was Charles Twine a betrayer—or a patriot fighting from the inside?
