Investigations: How bad officers faked evidence in the 2017 machete killings and the threat to Ssegirinya, Ssewanyana

KAMPALA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: As the merciless killing of at least 29 people by machete welding gangsters still boils in our minds and how security has swung to arrest multitudes, Members of Parliament inclusive, one wonders if it’s not a reminiscent of the 2017 incidences.

Like the English saying of ‘what goes round comes round’, both the legal and security gaps which manifested in the infamous first machete killings  four years ago may come back to undermine the credibility of the ongoing investigations and litigation of the latest killings that terrorized Greater Masaka between July and August this year.

For starters, young men in 2017 who had been arrested as prime suspects and displayed on TV confessing how they had killed people in Masaka, were briefly detained only to come out and give telling stories to the media how they had been hired by officers to pin a one BK (Brace Bukenya) and a woman Justin Nakakeeto (Senga).

For BK, it is alleged he was being punished for his involvement in the eviction of an army colonel from a premise at Old Kampala yet Nakakeeto was to be linked to a tycoon Kayongo, owner of Zion hotel.

At the time, land conflicts involving businessman Hamis Kiggundu and Kayongo over a piece of land at Nakivubo stadium were at their height. The of Nakakeeto who was a cook for the workers of Mr. Kayongo would pave way for the arrest of Kayongo to enable a smooth takeover of land by Kiggundu.

Nakakeeto during an interview way back said indeed what was true is that some of the boys who had been arrested and paraded as machete gang members had at one night stayed at Zion Hotel where they had mattocks, pangas and barbed wire but being prepared for a night mission to fence off land at Nakivubo.

In Masaka, real group gangs including a one Musa Ggaliwango and Kiddawalime were busy terrorizing residents. And last week what emerged from the former Internal Security organization, a spy outfit was that the real killers involved a cartel known to everyone.

One of those machete gang known as Tumusiime Sulaiman Mustafa was arrested with others, he was told to pin Brace Bukenya (BK) and) as being their master.

Tusiime was detained with Juma Munyirwa, Brian Ssewanyana, Mulungi Isaac and Eric Mumbaale who were all been released together with the so called leaders, BK and Nakakeeto and all had been charged with terrorism. 

Tusiime’s group later on after being released, told the media that they had only been hired to accomplish the deal which would implicate BK and tycoon Kayongo in return with houses, 5000 chicks for each of them and intelligence jobs with security agencies.

“It was like miming. They told me to recite their song- BK, Ssenga and pangas, killing people in Masaka….. I hesitated because I did know BK neither have I been to Masaka before. They coached me to recite the names of our so called commanders, the word pangas and Masaka,” Tumusiime said.

He alleged that Officers including the former DPC Old Kampala (Charles Nsaba), a one Ssennono, and Sankara insisted once “we were before cameras, we had to say we had been given machetes and taken to Lwengo and Masaka to commit murder by Nakakeeto and BK”.

Indeed they did tell the story before the cameras thefollowing day leading to Tusiime’s image and his group’s story being carried on major front page newspapers.

However back then, Kampala extra police spokesperson, Emilian Kayima dismissed the allegations as lies.

“I would say they told lies in their statements, they are possibly telling lies even now. Commanders of KMP and our territorial commanders are all professional whose reputation tested and can’t stoop so low to impress.”  Mr. Kayima said.

But when asked about whether any machete suspects had been taken to court and who they are he said he were facing prosecution.

“Many of them. But I don’t know whether the ring leaders are out. It depends on the evidence available,” Kayima said.

The Regional Principal State attorney –Kampala, Ms. Samali Wakooli in a May 18, 2017 letter with reference GEF 01/2017 Uganda Vs Bukenya Brace told police there was no evidence to pin him and others.

“Suspicion, even when very strong, cannot be relied on to prove a case against a person unless supported by cogent evidence. On perusal, most of the statements are either hearsay or based on suspicion. Without a particular victim identified, I find a criminal charge not sustainable,” Wakooli wrote.

BK and the so called group he commanded were then detained at CPS, Katwe, Kira, Old Kampala and Nalufenya for a month.

“The commander at Nalufenya interrogated us and told us we were victims of another fight. He contacted Mr. Frank Mwesigwa (then RPC for Kampala) to pick us but his reply was that the police would get into bad light if we were released. He wanted us to stay in cells just to preserve the police image. In fact the commander Nalufenya drove us in his own car to Old Kampala but they declined to receive us and were taken to Kira for a bond,” BK says.

An audio recording of the machete ‘suspects’ that was taken from old Kampala police station, accused police of using them with the promise of giving them 1000 chicks and Shs.5 million each and being released soon after pinning the duo but all promises were delayed at the time of the recording.

“A crime preventer known as Wafula approached us and promised we would be detained for a mission and released with a package soon after pinning BK and Ssenga (Nakakeeto) but we are being kept here yet we played our part. They promised to enroll us into flying squad and police as well as get money,” a voice of a one Brian claims.

The voice adds that during their stay at police ‘we were served with Marijuana and beers and told us we were not criminals but just used to fulfil a mission. One night in two silver salon cars, we were driven to Munyonyo to meet see IGP. But on arrival they said he was too busy and instead we met a police spokesperson who promised us a better life.

A lawyer and human rights activist based in the United Kingdom, Mr Stephen Lwetutte says that with such clear evidence, history and pattern of the regime trumping up criminal charges against a couple of Ugandans and dissenters in order to stifle them that no seasoned observer can even begin to believe they have arrested the real culprits.

This is more likely to be the regime handiwork aimed at destroying achieving their goals – Mr Museveni’s declared intention was to have completely wiped out the opposition by the time of the January 2021 general elections.

“Already two outspoken opposition MPs have been charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorism, at a time President Museveni is determined to get bail laws amended to enable him to hold his opponents in jail for as long as he likes, to curb the growing and increasingly determined and bold opposition to his 35-year autocratic rule.” Lwetutte says.

Repression in the country will intensify in the short term before the inevitable happens and Ugandans regain their freedom.