Unanswered questions surround musician Ziggy Wine’s death

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The disappearance, reoccurrence and eventual death of musician Michael Alinda, also known as Ziggy Wine, has elicited unanswered questions among members of his family, friends and the Ugandan population.

Alinda, 29, an artist, IT technician and Social Media Blogger, was pronounced dead on Sunday night at Mulago National Referral Hospital, where he had been admitted after being dumped by yet to be identified people.

At the time of his admission, Alinda had severe burns on his body, his fingers had been chopped off and his left eye reportedly plucked out. However, the masterminds of the brutality and their motive remains unknown.

Immaculate Nalwadda, a sister to the deceased says they last talked to Alinda on July 21, informing him about a family meeting in Bukoto. Nalwadda says by that time he was moving from Kawempe and sounded fine.

But he never showed up for the meeting, and, according to Nalwadda, family members thought that he was just held up. It never occurred to them that Wine, a member of the Fire Base Crew, was in trouble.

Nalwadda adds that they became suspicious when days elapsed without a word from his brother. His calls were going unanswered, and his whereabouts were unknown, even among his associates.

Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga says that a person only identified as Mugarura reported a missing person after six days, but declined to record a statement with police.

To him, the late reporting and the fact that no information in the form of a statement was availed to police slowed investigation into the matter. Enanga observes that such cases should be reported as soon as the family notice that someone is missing.

Busiro East MP Medard Lubega Ssegona says that although police were alerted late about the incident, they still had an opportunity to arrest whoever dumped him at Mulago Casualty Ward.

Police have since started reviewing the CCTV footage from Mulago to tracing images that could reveal how the victim was brought and abandoned at the hospital.

During a vigil organized at Meeting Point near the deceased’s home in Ganda, Wakiso district, many, including family members insinuated that his link to the People Power Pressure Group, led by Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi Sentamu could have cost his life.

A number of friends and relatives also hinted on a contested property with a soldier, whose identities are still unknown.

“Although we suspect that he might have been picked up by security agents, there is another possibility that his property might have landed him in trouble,” a family friend identified as Alex Waiswa said.

Waiswa repeated the same while asking Medard Ssegona, the area Member of Parliament, to investigate the matter.

His widow, only identified as Hilda was stopped from commenting about the same, as she tried to expound on the alleged conflict between Zigy Wine and a soldier.

One of the relatives grabbed her hand while stating “Ebyo bireke, t’obyogerako” loosely translated as don’t comment on that.

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URN