Co-accused in Ndiga Clan murder demand release after Tabula arrest

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Four of the six people jointly charged with Tabula Lujja, the prime suspect in the murder of Ndiga Clan head Lwomwa Daniel Bbosa Kakeedo, have asked the Mwanga II Magistrates Court to release them, now that the key suspect has been apprehended.

Lujja was arrested after six months while on the run for the murder of Bbosa, who was gunned down near his home in Lungujja, a Kampala suburb, on February 24, 2024, by assailants moving on a Boda Boda. On Thursday, the case came up for an update on the progress of investigations, presided over by Principal Grade One Magistrate Adams Byarugaba.

State Attorney Caroline Mpumwire informed the court that the matter had been adjourned to allow the prosecution to prepare papers to commit the accused persons to the High Court for trial. The other accused persons are Noah Lujja, Harriet Nakiguli, a resident of Nkere Corner Zone, Kawempe Division in Kampala District; Joseph Nakabale, a carpenter residing in Gala, Mpigi Town Council; Ezra Mayanja, a carpenter residing in Kiganda Zone, Kawempe; and Milly Naluwenda, the Secretary to the Kisekwa Cultural Court of Buganda, residing in Kitunzi Zone 7, Rubaga Division, Kampala District.

Mpumwire stated that although the committal papers were prepared, some minor errors needed correction due to new information received after the initial preparation. She requested a short adjournment to finalize these corrections. However, this request was met with opposition from four of the six accused persons, except for Noah Lujja and Tabula.

The other four requested to be set free, citing family responsibilities. They told Magistrate Byarugaba that they were initially arrested pending the capture of Tabula, who had been elusive for six months. Now that he was in state custody, they argued that they should be released to care for their families, especially their young children.

Harriet Nakiguli, Tabula’s elder sister, informed the court that she has children in primary school, one of whom is a candidate for the upcoming Primary Leaving Examinations on November 6th and 7th. Milly Naluwenda, another relative of Tabula, explained that her contact with him was purely in line with her duties as Secretary but denied any involvement in the murder.

All four co-accused requested to be set free, leaving Tabula and Lugya—who was arrested at the crime scene—facing the charges. Tabula himself supported their plea, acknowledging his relationship with each of the accused and asserting that they were innocent. He further stated that only he and Noah Lugya were involved in the murder and that he was willing to bear the consequences of his actions.

Despite these pleas, the prosecutor opposed their release, citing that the accused were about to be committed to the High Court, which would determine their innocence or guilt. Magistrate Byarugaba agreed with the prosecution, stating that the accused persons face a capital offense, which is only triable by the High Court. He added that he did not have jurisdiction to grant their release but gave the state three weeks to prepare the committal papers for trial.

Byarugaba adjourned the case to October 24, 2024, for committal to the High Court, which would decide whether the accused have a case to answer and whether they would be granted bail. On his first court appearance, Tabula had shown no remorse and, in a moment outside court cells, used Luganda proverbs to express that he believed in “tit for tat” or “an eye for an eye.”

He admitted to hiring the two killers, Serunkuma and Noah Lujja, to end Bbosa’s life. Tabula stated that while he regretted the murder, it was a necessary step to secure his ancestors’ rightful ownership of the Lwomwa seat. In his extra-judicial statement, Tabula revealed that his reasons for orchestrating the murder included revenge for the alleged 1989 killing of his father by Lwomwa’s family, the sale of Ndiga Clan land in Mbale, Mpigi, and the desecration of his ancestor’s grave by building a toilet on it.

He also cited Lwomwa’s opposition to his bid for ownership of the Namulonge land. According to sources, Tabula maintains that four of the five co-accused are innocent, except for his nephew, Noah Lujja. He also denied involvement in human sacrifice, explaining that the 17 skulls recovered from his shrine in Mpigi were for ancestral purposes.

Prior to Bbosa’s death, there had been a long-standing dispute within the clan, which had lasted over 480 years, resulting in the Buganda Cultural Court (Kisekwa) directing Bbosa to step down from leadership due to lineage discrepancies among the true descendants of the Ndiga Clan.

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