KASUBI TOMBS FIRE: Forensic investigation underway

DAY TWO: Loyalists build a fence at the heritage site on Thursday. Photo BY WILLY TAMALE

What you need to know:

Expert members of the committee met yesterday from the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Culture and Tourism, as well as the Office of the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police.

Kampala
A team of forensic experts has arrived at the Kasubi tombs to ascertain the cause of the fire that engulfed and destroyed the historic mausoleum of former Baganda Kings.

Government chemists and specialist engineers from Umeme, the electricity body, are currently inspecting the site of the devastation, said deputy Director of the Criminal Investigations Directorate Moses Sakira, who is leading the investigation.

“We are now gathering detailed information and carrying out analysis at the tombs,” he told Daily Monitor from the site on Thursday. “We have no conclusions yet.”

Mr Sakira said the police have not yet removed anything from the site for laboratory analysis. But a forensic lab at CID headquarters has been made available for the investigation.

Police spokesperson Judith Nabakooba said nothing has been ruled out and the criminal investigation is yet to determine whether the cause of the fire was arson or an accident.

For the past two days, thousands of Buganda subjects have visited the scene to pay their respects to the revered burial grounds, and help clean and organise its remains.

Mr Sakira said this had caused problems for the investigations team because the evidence will have been tampered with. But the site is now cleared of the majority of civilians so the team was able to carry out their work effectively.

“Some people have remained because it is their culture that they must protect the site, but the stampede has reduced,” he said.
He said a metal barrier now cordons off the area around the central mausoleum.

The police investigation will feed into a government sub-committee to determine the cause of the fire and the shooting of civilians.

Experts meet
Expert members of the committee met yesterday from the Ministries of Internal Affairs, Culture and Tourism, as well as the Office of the Attorney General and the Inspector General of Police.

The sub-committee reports to a wider government committee which is also looking at how to reconstruct the heritage site. It will make an interim report to Cabinet next Wednesday.

Their presentation will include recommendations regarding the parliamentary request to include independent members on the sub-committee. In the past, investigators from Scotland Yard have played such a role.

The Buganda Kingdom has also set up an independent committee to determine the cause of the fire.

All of the keepers of the tombs are being questioned about what happened in order that they might shed some light on the incident, the Buganda Information and Cabinet Affairs Minister, Mr Peter Mayiga, said.

He said the kingdom would cooperate with the police if evidence of criminal work was discovered. But he explained that a Baganda group, separate from the police, was important because of the need for cultural sensitivity surrounding the tombs.

“Some things in the tombs are very secret,” he said, “our people gathering information know about how to do things.”

Investigation teams
Group A: The Police Criminal Investigations Directorate
Remit: Determine the cause of the fire at Kasubi tombs
Lead: Mr Moses Sakira, deputy director of the CID, in charge of investigations
Responsible to: Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police

Group B: The Cabinet Sub-Committee
Remit: Advise the government on investigations into the fire at the Kasubi Tombs and the shootings on March 17
Lead: Hon. Gabriel Opio, Minister of Gende
Respnsible to: Government Committee on the Destruction of the Kasubi Tombs, made up of the Third Deputy Prime Minister & Minister Of Internal Affairs Kirunda Kivejinja; Minister Of Local Govt Adolf Mwesigye; Minister of State for Tourism Serapio Rukundo; Minister of Finance Sydda Bbumba; Minister of Justice & Attorney General Khiddu Makubuya; the IGP, Maj. Gen Kale Kayihura.

Group C: Buganda Kingdom Team
Remit: Independent investigation into the cause of the fire
Lead: Princess Beatrice Namikka, in charge of the tombs, amongst others
Responsible to: The Katikiro of Buganda Eng J.B Walusimbi