- Rev Edward Nalwamba entered ICE custody in 2025 as an active man who exercised and played table tennis daily
- Thirteen months later, he could not take a single step without help and had to be carried by fellow detainees after his release
- A federal judge ordered his release after authorities failed to prove that he was a candidate for deportation
When Rev. Edward Nalwamba walked into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Aurora, Colorado, in September 2025, he was a healthy man.
Source: Facebook
He exercised regularly, played table tennis and moved about freely, but 13 months later, he could not take a single step without someone holding him up.
The 78-year-old Ugandan Anglican priest was released following a court order, but what should have been a straightforward departure became an emotional scene outside the facility's gate.
Two fellow detainees had to step forward and physically carry him to the vehicle waiting to take him away.
Nalwamba said he had been brought to the exit in a wheelchair but was not permitted to use it beyond the facility's gate. He asked whether the car could be brought closer to him, but was told that was not possible.
With no other option available, two men he had come to know during his detention carried him the remaining distance. One of them was from his own housing unit.
"I was grateful for their kindness," he said, adding that he did not know what he would have done without them.
His lawyer, Joy Athanasiou, painted a sobering picture of what the past year had done to her client's body.
She said Nalwamba had contracted pneumonia, shed more than 30 pounds and grown severely weak. He also described recurring chest pain, coughing and dizziness.
After his release, doctors at Denver Health ran tests to investigate his condition, including whether a respiratory infection was present.
A tuberculosis case had previously been reported at the same facility, though no link to his symptoms had been confirmed.
The wheelchair incident attracted criticism from Colorado Senator John Hickenlooper, whose office had contacted the Aurora detention centre ahead of the release to arrange wheelchair access and ensure Nalwamba's caretakers were notified.
Staff reportedly gave assurances that those requests would be met. They were not.
The GEO Group, which operates the facility, did not immediately address questions about the incident or Nalwamba's medical care.
Nalwamba first came to the US in 2002 for a religious conference and never left after his visitor visa expired.
He went on to serve as a priest at Resurrection Anglican Fellowship in Greenwood Village, Colorado, for roughly 15 years.
A final removal order was issued against him in 2010, but in October 2026, a federal judge ordered his release after his lawyers successfully argued that authorities had not shown his deportation was imminent.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed his underlying immigration case remains unresolved.
Beyond the legal uncertainty, Nalwamba and those supporting him have raised concerns about what awaits him in Uganda, citing his political views and public criticism of the Ugandan government.
For now, he is free, and the quiet act of two men carrying a stranger to safety remains the moment that defined his release.
Source: TUKO.co.ke