The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police are still struggling to access footage from a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera at Mulago Hospital, showing how musician Ziggy Wine was admitted to the facility.
Ziggy Wine, a member of Fire Base Crew, succumbed to injuries allegedly sustained in an accident along the Kampala-Northern bypass. However, his relatives say that he was kidnapped, tortured and later dumped at Mulago hospital, from where he breathed his last.
His death has also sparked accusations and counter accusations between security agencies and members of People Power, a pressure group championed by Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi also known as Bobi Wine. According to the police, Ziggy Wine’s death is being used by politicians for political capital.
As Ziggy Wine’s relatives and People Power claim he was dumped at Mulago Hospital by his tormentors, police say he was ridden to the hospital on a Boda boda by good Samaritans from Hope Clinic in Kyebando where he had been rushed for first aid.
But Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga says Mulago Hospital is yet to release the CCTV footage to police detectives to prove circumstances under which the musician was admitted to the Hospital.
Enanga said Mulago Hospital management informed the police that CCTV footage of July 21, when Zigy Wyne was reportedly taken there by good Samaritans had already been transferred to the hospital’s main footage server and achieve center.
The hospital asked detectives to try again between July 17 and 21 when the footage will have been retrieved from the achieve.
Police paraded a team of seven eyewitnesses and a woman, Loy Atworo, who was allegedly knocked by Zigy Wyne at Kyebando around 7 pm on July 21 in an accident that allegedly led to his death.
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Ugandaaaaah, a cyclist causes an accident, he seriously injures a pedestrian and himself as well. Good Samaritans pick them off the road and transport the victims to a nearby health facility. At this point, there is no police activity involved. No record is being ascertained by the police. No condoning off the crime scene from which the accident took place. At the clinic, the medical attendants are overwhelmed by the injuries caused by the accident, they transfer the “patients” to Mulago (this is the 21, July). After six days of absence, another good Samaritan (Ziggy’s neighbor) gets concerns and reports to police of a “missing neighbor.” This is when police “interests” itself and embarks on the search for Ziggy Wine (this is the 27, July). On the 4, August, Ziggy Wine breathed his last, marking exactly, 14 days since the fatal accident. 14 days later and the police is still “firefighting” on what could have caused Ziggy’s death. Is someone, sleeping on their job? Do we need “good Samaritans” to do police work? Do we have to “beg” the police to do what it’s supposed to do. Do we have to “commit a crime” in order to “prompt” the police? If a crime was committed by a cyclist along the northern bypass, and it takes fourteen days and a “suspicious death” for police to be “alerted”, how then do we expect police to carry out its cardinal function of, ” PROTECTING PEOPLE’S LIVES AND PROPERTY?” Where is the “due diligence” and “proactiveness” of the “civil force” police is?