15 guns used in city murders still missing

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The joint security investigation team is searching for 15 guns which were allegedly used in 14 murders linked to suspects in the shooting of Gen Edward Katumba Wamala.

Katumba was attacked by gun-wielding men on June 1, 2021, along Kisota road in the outskirts of Kampala, in an incident that claimed the life of his daughter Brenda Nantongo and driver Haruna Kayondo on spot. In the aftermath, security forces arrested and facilitated the trial of eight suspects, while four others have been killed.

The head of police Directorate of Forensic Sciences Andrew Mubiru and his team have since connected one of the three guns picked from the suspects to 14 murders. The recovered guns include two AK47 submachine guns and a pistol. According to investigation reports, one of the three guns was allegedly used to kill Maj Muhammad Kiggundu and his bodyguard Sgt Stephen Mukasa, the murder of AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi alongside his bodyguard Kenneth Erau and driver Godfrey Mambewa.

According to Deputy IGP Maj Gen Paul Lokech, the group is also linked to the robbery and murder of four people, Frank Anania, Amim Bugembe, Jummy Atukuru and Frank Abaho who were workers of Cheap General hardware in Nansana municipality, and murder of Okoth Button at City supermarket in Mpererwe along Gayaza road. His statement was delivered to the media by police spokesperson Fred Enanga.

But a senior detective said a review of their records and videos captured at some of these incidents show different guns were used in the killings. For instance, CCTV footage captured at Cheap General Hardware shows the attackers had four motorcycles each carrying two persons and were all armed.

“We have noticed that attackers of cheap general hardware had six AK47 guns and two pistols. But we only have one gun that was used in that robbery. This group killed two police officers in Kalerwe using two guns but they also varnished with the guns of the victims,” a detective said.

He added that CCTV footage shows two guns were used in the robbery at the City supermarket in Mpererwe, from where the killers also took the security guard’s gun and in all the incidents, only one gun has been recovered and connected to the murders.

Another detective believes that it will be difficult to recover the guns still missing because vital suspects are often shot dead in operations. The senior detective cited an example of a suspect who was killed by CMI during the hunt for killers of former Buyende District Police Commander ASP Muhammad Kirumira.

“[Abdul] Kateregga was killed before he revealed where he had hidden the gun that was used to shoot Kirumira. It is three years now and we have never got that gun. When a suspect is killed, it denies us a chance to know the truth,” a detective said.

Besides, the guns allegedly used to kill 14 people by Gen Katumba suspects, forensic and ballistic experts have not recovered any gun connected to the bullet casings recovered from murder scenes of Muslim Sheikhs among others Mustafa Bahiga, Abdul Muwaya and Hassan Kirya.

Maj Gen Lokech insists that Gen Katumba’s attackers are part of the Allied Democratic Force-ADF terror cell allegedly commanded by Sheikh Abu Ubaida Badir Diin Bukenya. Police have since put a 20 million Shillings bounty on Sheikh Bukenya’s head.

“He has been actively recruiting assailants and reactivating the terror cells.  We have widely shared his photos and put out a reward for anyone with credible information that can lead to his arrest.

Lokech says security is dealing with a very deadly and militant group. This he attributes to a claim that in the counter-terror operations security has conducted, most of the suspects were violent and confrontational to the raids made on their hide-outs and during the recovery of the killer weapons.

The eight suspects who reportedly orchestrated the attack were identified as Kamada Walusimbi aka Mudinka, Muhammad Kagugube alias Musiramu, Siriman Ayuub Kisambira alias Mukwasi, Abdelaziz Ramathan Dunku, Habib Marjan, Sheik Yusuf Siraji Nyanzi and Hussein Sserubula alias Imam Muto while the four who were killed include Hussein Lubwama alias Master, Mustafa Ramadan Kawawa alias Amin, Idris Juma Sserwadda and Juma Saidi.

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