Twists in finding what killed Nebanda

A top government official reportedly telephoned police bosses to block consultant pathologist, Dr Sylvester Onzivua, from transporting specimens from Butaleja District Woman MP Cerinah Nebanda’s body for further tests in
a South African laboratory.

A highly-placed source said it had been suggested that if the pathologist did not co-operate and refused to surrender the samples, he could as well be charged in court with dealing in body parts.

Security officials intercepted the doctor shortly before he boarded a Johannesburg-bound South African Airlines plane, Flight 161, yesterday morning.

Dr Onzivua was being held at the headquarters of the Special Investigations Unit of Uganda Police in Kireka, Wakiso District. Sources said the expert
was due to be released last evening – and Parliament separately directed he be set free - but he was still in custody by the time we went to press.
The controversy surrounding the MP’s sudden death on Friday, in many ways reflects her own stubborn personality: She had a no-holds-barred, often abrasive style, openly criticising leaders of her ruling NRM party. She also
spoke out loudly against the looting of public resources.
And drama played out yesterday after Parliament, which had converged to pay tribute to her, instead adjourned prematurely to allow a re-start of investigations into the real cause of her death.

The autopsy findings
A preliminary postmortem done at Mulago hospital last Saturday indicated the 24-year-old politician died as a result of multiple organ failure, arising from a toxic chemical substance.

According to a parliamentary commissioner, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, who in the team of doctors that handled the autopsy, they found Nebanda’s lung consolidated (instead of spongy) and the pancreas inflamed. There were also
granules of rice in the abdomen and an alcohol-like substance in the abdomen.

Following the suspicious but inconclusive findings, police surgeons, a representative of the bereaved family, and MPs, who were present in the mortuary to witness the postmortem, agreed that further investigations be carried out.

Dr Baryomunsi told Parliament that one set of samples was given to the chief government chemist at the Government Analytical Laboratory in Wandegaya, and another handed to Dr Onzivua to be taken to South Africa for likely
conclusive tests.

There had been a brief disagreement in the mortuary just before the postmortem began. Police surgeon Moses Byaruhanga and the government pathologist at Mulago, Dr Sam Kalungi, reportedly wanted to lead the
exercise. But Dr Onzivua objected, arguing that under their code of practice, the most senior of the experts always takes lead.

On Saturday, that responsibility fell on the shoulders of Prof. Henry Wabinga, a senior consultant clinical pathologist in the Department of Human Pathology at Makerere University’s College of Human Sciences.

That sparked some animosity, and the account of what transpired was ominous until security operatives arrested Dr Onzivua yesterday.

Parliament’s call on him on Saturday to join the team carrying out Nebanda’s postmortem made him miss the church service for the wedding at Mbuya Catholic Church of Ministry of Finance official Francis Azabo. Instead, he went to the reception at Speke Resort Munyonyo.

It was, however, a 7am telephone call that Dr Onzivua received on Sunday that had the family on its tenterhooks. The call, it transpired, was from police, regarding the specimens in his possession. He was threatened with
arrest, prompting his wife Judith Ajeani to persuade him to pull out altogether.
Police surgeon Byaruhanga reportedly approached Dr Onzivua, asking him to surrender the samples so they could be flown for further tests in the United Kingdom. The consultant pathologist declined, insisting he was on the team
on Parliament’s account that required a parallel investigation to establish what killed the MP.

Separately, sources familiar with the investigation, said detectives were deployed to keep track of Dr Onzivua and alert their superiors the moment he attempted to leave the country.

He attended Sunday Mass at Christ The King Church and returned home for lunch, but via his office. Family sources said he met with the MPs to resolve some “issues that had emerged”.

Dr Baryomunsi’s statement in Parliament yesterday captured the headache Dr Onzivua faced in doing his work on behalf of the House, and he raised the complaints with Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura at the home of
Nebanda’s parents’ in Entebbe. It appeared the matter had been resolved, the Kinkizi East MP said.

That was not to be. Dr Onzivua got late evening calls from what he believed were security operatives, cautioning him to step back. At one point, he considered pulling out of the South African trip due to the unbearable
pressure.

Detectives under Deputy CIID chief Geoffrey Musana’s instructions reportedly summoned and questioned him. Later, he wrote a letter to the CIID boss, Ms Grace Akullo, seeking guidance on a professional duty that had turned
controversial and potentially hazardous.

Ms Akullo had also been reportedly asked about how specimens were taken from the body of the MP without her knowledge.

The Monday meeting at Mulago Hospital convened following an understanding between Lt. Gen. Kayihura and Dr Baryomunsi, apparently authorised Dr Onzivua to fly to South Africa.

Police Spokesperson Judith Nabakooba, contrary to Dr Bayromunsi’s account to Parliament, said the stakeholders never reached a consensus, maintaining that some sample was “irregularly obtained by individuals not involved in
the police investigation, and without knowledge of the Police”.

In an earlier statement, the police accused the pathologist contracted by Parliament of “attempting to smuggle the samples out of the country”.
Ms Nabakooba, however, failed to cite the specific law under which police acted.

In Parliament, MP Abdu Katuntu said the line of investigations to yield evidence for probably prosecution of anyone over the death of Nebanda was to be obtained by the Government Chief Chemist, who had received a separate set of the samples. What was given to Dr Onzivua, according to Mr Katuntu, himself a lawyer, was for parallel toxicological tests to satisfy the curiosity of Parliament and the bereaved family on the exact cause of the MP’s death.

As Dr Onzivua left his home at 4am on Monday, he telephoned a relative in Entebbe to announce he would leave his car in their home, and pick it up on return from South Africa. What he did not know was that SIU officers were on
his trail. The family lost contact with him around that time. Telephone calls to him went unanswered and he never replied the short text messages.

Kampala Central MP Mohammad Nsereko was reportedly on the same flight, and ensured Dr Onzivua checked in before he sauntered in through the VIP lounge.
South African airlines officials said Dr Onzivua had checked in and had a boarding pass, but was stopped from boarding by Immigration officials, who said there were “some issues”.

Those issues, it turned out, kept him in police custody the whole day – and possibly overnight.

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