KAMPALA: A Ugandan writer and senior lecturer at Makerere University, Dr. Danson Sylvester Kahyana, is nursing wounds after he was on Tuesday night attacked by men riding on boda boda.
According to a friend, the attackers beat up Kahyana, stole his phones, bank cards, National ID and money.
The attackers knocked out his teeth and broke his jaws. The place where he was attacked from could not be established.
It was not immediately clear whether the attack was politically motivated or is another part of the increasing criminal gangs in Kampala Metropolitan area. Police were yet to comment by press time.
Dr. Kahyana is the outgoing President of Uganda P.E.N. Editor, “Fire on the Mountain” (creative works on Kasese 2016).
Novelist Kakwenza Rukirabashaija condemned the attack on Kahyana.
He said “Solidarity with my former PEN president Uganda chapter, Dr. Sylvester Kahyana , who was severely attacked and left bleeding with several teeth missing. From 28th December 2021-11th January 2022 when cannibal Muhoozi and his barbarically controlled and blood thirsty chamchas were mutilating me, they interrogated me about him, his work as a professor of literature at Makerere University and also his critical pen”.
Stella Nyanzi, also another renowned writer, joined others to condemn the attack.
She wrote: “Critical writers are now an endangered species in Uganda! It is with shock and disgust that I learnt of the violent attack on Dr. Danson Sylvester Kahyana”.
Danson Kahyana is the outgoing president of PEN Uganda, senior lecturer of Literature in English at Makerere University, prolific writer, published poet, writer of illustrated children’s books and editor of several books.