How Katusabe was delivered to Pine car bond before her murder

Murdered: Betty Donah Katusabe. COURTESY PHOTO

What you need to know:

  • Mr Caleb Alaka, the lead defence lawyer, during cross examination, asked Nyanzi whether she abducted Katusabe from her home or she effected her arrest.

Kampala. A senior police officer yesterday narrated to court how she picked up former Kampala businesswoman, Betty Donah Katusabe from her residence in Bwebajja on Entebbe Road and delivered her to Pine car bond in Kampala where she met her death.
SPC Specioza Nyanzi, in her testimony before Justice Flavia Anglin Senoga, narrated that on the fateful day of October 21, 2015, she received a phone call at around 6am from one of her fellow police officers.

Nyanzi who was the seventh prosecution witness, said the instructions were to pick up Katusabe and deliver her to a rich man (Muhammed Ssebuwufu) in Kampala for failure to pay an outstanding debt.
The trial involves Kampala car dealer, Ssebuwufu and seven others who are accused of killing Katusabe using sticks and pangas over a Shs9m car debt.

“When we proceeded to Bwebajja, the four of us, the driver first went inside the gate to check whether the lady (late Katusabe) was in. He returned and informed us that she was there,” SPC Nyanzi told court.

She added: “We got out of the car and went into the house. We found Katusabe preparing to wash clothes. The driver asked her whether she was aware of the rich man’s debt and she said yes. I went on to order her to close her house so that we could go to the rich man.”
The witness told court that as they were approaching City Square, she asked her fellow police officers whether they were taking Katusabe to the Central Police Station (CPS) and that the driver replied that they were taking her to the rich man (Ssebuwufu) to finish the matter.

The police officer further told court that when they finally reached Pine car bond, the driver got out to find out whether Ssebuwufu was present and that at that time, Katusabe was still seated in the car.
“When the driver returned and told us that the rich man had stepped out, we took the lady (Katusabe) to his office and she sat in a sofa as she waited for him. The rich man did not take long before returning to meet the lady,” Nyanzi further narrated to court.
The 46-year-old police officer who at the time of Katusabe’s death was working at Baganda Bus park Police Post, also told court that she left Katusabe with Ssebuwufu in his office since she had promised to make calls and clear his debt.

At the tail end of her testimony in chief, Nyanzi stated that she was shocked two days later, to see pictures of Katusabe in the newspapers indicating that she had been killed at Pine car bond.
The witness was also yesterday able to identify Ssebuwufu and driver Paul Kansigika who were standing in the dock.
Mr Caleb Alaka, the lead defence lawyer, during cross examination, asked Nyanzi whether she abducted Katusabe from her home or she effected her arrest.
In response, she told court that she went to pick Katusabe and not to kidnap her.
One of the charges that the eight suspects are facing is kidnap with intent to murder.

Counsel Alaka also asked Nyanzi whether she witnessed Ssebuwufu assault the deceased while she was at Pine car bond and she replied, “No”.