Police hunt 7 suspects in Kiggundu murder

KAMPALA. Police are hunting seven suspects who have been implicated in the murder of Maj Muhammad Kiggundu last Saturday.
A source in the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) who declined to be named told Daily Monitor yesterday that the deceased’s wife Ms Sylvia Namutebi aka Maama Fiina told investigators that unknown people had sent video, written and text threats to her husband Sheikh Maj Kiggundu before he was shot dead on November 26.

Sheikh Kiggundu and his bodyguard were gunned down at Masanafu Trading Centre on the fateful day.
The CID source said Sheikh Yahaya Mwanje revealed to investigators that the murder of Maj Kiggundu and his bodyguard Sgt Stephen Mukasa was coordinated by some Muslim leaders and security operatives during interrogation at Special Investigation Division in Kireka.
The source did not name the implicated suspects.
A day after the killing of Maj Kiggundu, Sheikh Mwanje was arrested and later transferred to Nalufenya Police Station in Jinja District.
Mr Andrew Felix Kaweesi, the police spokesperson, could not deny nor confirm the hunt for the seven suspects named in the murder.

“Like I had earlier indicated that we arrested Sheikh Mwanje because of making inciting statements about Muslim clerics including the late [Maj Kiggundu]. I am yet to be informed whether the interrogation of Sheikh Mwanje has led to the hunt of other suspects,” Mr Kaweesi said.
Mr Kaweesi is now camped in Kasese District following the on-going clashes between army, police and Rwenzururu Kingdom royal guards that have claimed more than 100 lives and led to the arrest of King Wesley Mumbere who has been charged with murder.
Asked whether the State was considering including Sheikh Mwanje on the on-going trial of other sheikhs implicated in the assassination of several Muslim leaders, Mr Kaweesi said it was premature to make that conclusion.

“I think it is a speculation because investigations are on-going,” he said.
Sheikh Mwanje replaced Sheikh Yunus Kamoga as acting leader of the Tabliq sect at Nakasero Mosque last year after the latter was arrested for alleged involvement in the murder of top Muslim leaders. Kamoga and 13 others are on trial in the International Crimes Division of the High Court.
When Daily Monitor contacted Sheikh Ayub Nyende, the spokesperson of Nakasero Mosque, on whether any member of their faithful was being pursued by police, he declined to comment.
“I am engaged with work and I can’t speak to you,” he said.

Meeting Museveni
Maama Fiina confirmed meeting President Museveni to explain her bereavement.
“His Excellence felt the pain I am going through and he invited me to condole with me. He has got me a place where I am getting psychological treatment,” she said but declined to mention the place.

Threats
She said her husband had been receiving video, audio and SMS threats, which he had briefed the army leadership about.
Maama Fiina said the army had given the slain major six bodyguards but he rejected them because they were inconveniencing his people.
“My husband was a down-to-earth person. He liked associating with lower people. But because of security that was always around him, people had started fearing him. He decided to send away the bodyguards,” Maama Fiina said.
She said President Museveni assured her that police and army would do everything possible to have the killers brought to book.

Although the police had told Daily Monitor that the postmortem report had been handed over to the bereaved family, Ms Namutebi denied receiving it.
“It is not true that we have received the postmortem report. We are still waiting for it. But our interest is not in the postmortem report. What we want is government to apprehend the killers,” Maama Fiina said.

Investigations
Meanwhile, a joint security team investigating Maj Kiggundu’s murder has extended its scope to call printouts to get clues that could lead to arrest of the killers.
Maj Kiggundu and his bodyguard were shot dead by masked gunmen riding on two motorcycles.
The deceased were travelling in an army pickup at Masanafu Trading Centre on Saturday.
A security source said the team was examining call printouts of all the people whose mobile phones were active around the time and scene of the shooting. Security officers used the same method of call printouts to track killers of Joan Kagezi, who was prosecuting the 2010 Kampala bombing suspects, but it did not yield anything of prosecution value as the assailants have never been arrested nor identified.

FACTS

Murder. Maj Kiggundu and his bodyguard were shot dead by masked gunmen riding on two motorcycles.
Clues. Mr Kaweesi said police have received several clues they are following.
Threats. Ms Sylvia Namutebi aka Maama Fiina told investigators that unknown people had sent video, written and text threats to her husband Sheikh Maj Kiggundu before he was shot dead on November 26.

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