The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Fresh details have emerged on the circumstances surrounding the death of Emmanuel Tegu, a former veterinary student at Makerere University. Tegu was allegedly beaten by a mob near Lumumba hall in Makerere University on June 27th that mistook him for a thief.
He breathed his last at Mulago National Referral Hospital on June 27th due to multiple organ failure resulting from internal bleeding. Police have since picked up thirteen suspects including 10 youths and three security guards in connection to the mob action.
Our reporter spoke to families of some of the suspects in Makerere University on what transpired on the fateful night when Tegu was attacked by the mob. Some of them say they heard three gunshots seemingly fired by police officers chasing someone.
Jane Aguti, whose brother Nicholas Omase is locked up says police was the first to chase Tegu and even fired three bullets. According to Aguti, although she doesn’t know why the officers were chasing the deceased, she suspects that the mob could have responded to the gunshots.
“It seems police is trying to protect itself from this incident. I don’t know who beat Tegu but what I know police was the first to fire bullets. Our people have been arrested like terrorists yet they didn’t show us evidence or explain to us what they had done. Omase wasn’t at the scene,” Aguti said.
Tom Ogwang is the father of Reagan Ogwang and Sharon Ogwang, both of whom are in police custody. He believes police are trying to cover up what transpired to protect their own for their role in Tegu’s death.
Ogwanga, who is also a senior administrative staff at Makerere University says police surrounded his home on Monday without any search warrant and picked up his children without explaining to him the offense they had committed.
“My son was just coming from the bathroom and he was taken in underwear. They later called my daughter and when she reached Wandegeya police division she was also detained. I have gone there and I have been told that they are arrested over somebody who was beaten and later died,” Ogwanga said.
Although the Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango declined to reveal the identities of the suspects in police custody, the parents have provided some of the names. Some of the suspects are Nicholas Omase, Regan Ogwang, Sharon Ogwang, Moses, Kakuru, Allan, Molly, Raymond and Dick.
Bashir Kamugo, who spoke on behalf of his father who is also a lecturer at Makerere University says police first called Charles Oyugu, the Makerere Muluka Zone LC I chairperson on July 5 to report to Wandegeya police station.
“Oyugu is the person who called police that a student had been beaten. Police called him on Sunday to record a statement but he was instead detained. Police tasked him to reveal all the people he saw beating Tegu. But he has told me he found when Tegu had already been attacked,” Kamugo said.
Kamugo, who is also the Muluka 11 LC 1 chairperson says he arrived at Makerere in the wee hours of June 29 and heard a rumor that a thief had beaten.
Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga told URN on Monday that Tegu was found by a police patrol behind the university main building half naked. He claimed that they had secured CCTV footage from St Augustine Chapel showing Tegu who had a history of mental illness chasing police officers.
On Tuesday, police dispatched a team of officers to reconstruct the crime scene with the help of the security guards from Centenary Bank who were arrested in connection to the mob action. Our reporter saw the guards leading the officers to the place where the scuffle started.
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