The Uganda Prisons Service has dismissed a Ngora-based warder after his blunt social media videos accusing the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) of corruption and mismanagement went viral, triggering a national debate on free speech within the security forces.
Lawrence Ampe, a prisons warder attached to Ngora Prison, was quietly removed from service following a Prisons Council decision that took effect on December 9, 2025.
A letter dated December 17 instructed prison authorities to immediately enforce the dismissal and recover all government property in his possession.
“Treat this matter as urgent and important. A formal dismissal letter will follow,” the directive read.
Operating a TikTok account under the alias @COP Ampe, the warder had been posting videos sharply criticising NRM leaders, accusing them of enriching themselves while ordinary Ugandans and even lower-ranking security officers struggle to survive.
“Even the officers who call me privately know I’m speaking the truth. When they lock themselves in their rooms, they know this country is not going in the right direction,” he said.
Uganda Prisons Service spokesperson Frank Baine earlier confirmed that Ampe had been summoned before the Prisons Disciplinary Committee in November, a move many now view as a prelude to his dismissal.
The decision has ignited sharp criticism from opposition figures, with National Unity Platform (NUP) leader Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu, popularly known as Bobi Wine, describing the dismissal as punishment for whistle-blowing rather than misconduct.
According to Kyagulanyi, Ampe was targeted for exposing alleged corruption, human rights abuses, abuse of authority, and systematic oppression of junior officers within the prisons service.
“While Ampe is fired, other security officers especially in the military regularly appear in the media openly praising the Museveni dictatorship and face no consequences. Many are instead rewarded,” Kyagulanyi wrote on X.
He said the incident exposes what he called a double standard entrenched in Uganda’s security institutions.
“This is the system of oppression an NUP government will be committed to dismantling.”
