We did not kill MP Nebanda, says Museveni

KAMPALA

President Museveni last night distanced his government from any involvement in the sudden death of Butaleja District Woman MP Cerinah Nebanda.

Mr Museveni told journalists at a press conference at Ms Nebanda's family home in Kitubulu, Entebbe that he had only mentioned the MP on Thursday in his special address to Parliament on the oil Bill. He warned that the government would arrest anybody claiming it had a hand in Nebanda’s death. “When you malign the government and interfere with the work of the police and you spread lies, then, the laws can handle you because police investigations are protected by the law,” Mr Museveni said.

The President said the last words he spoke with Nebanda were about travelling with her to her constituency to assess the condition of the health centres in the district after she had complained about lack of drugs.

“Therefore, I could not believe my ears. I think it was about 9 o’clock at night on that Friday, when Mr Kasule Lumumba, our chief whip, said Nebanda had died. It was totally unexpected. I could not believe it,” Mr Museveni said. He added: “Our daughter Nebanda died when she was very young, which is very painful. I had seen her just on Thursday when I went to address Parliament. My daughter has been doing a lot of kyejo and we are always making fun with her.

“On Thursday, when I was making the speech, I talked about drugs in health centres and I said the situation in the health centres has improved…then Nebanda said, ‘No it has not improved.’ then I said, we shall arrange and we go to Butaleja together…”

Asked whether he would take action against the media for irresponsible reporting on Nebanda’s death, Mr Museveni said: “We shall find out why they did this. But you should know that these newspapers have been doing this for a long time. And they do it mainly against the government.”

Responding to a question about failure by the government to make public reports into previous investigations into the deaths of prominent people, such as the late Ministry of Defence PS Noble Mayombo, he said some reports could not be concluded because there were not enough facts. “But the Mayombo one was concluded and we know the cause. So there was no problem. His family was informed,” Mr Museveni said, adding : “But this one is a simpler case because Nebanda was not sick.”

Sending his condolences to the family, the President said: “Nebanda will not be easy to replace but this was done by some power beyond everybody’s control here. But if it was done by an enemy, we shall get him or her.”

Addressing a press conference at Parliament on Sunday, Nebanda’s colleagues challenged an earlier claim by police that a drugs overdose was to blame for her death. Dr Chris Baryomunsi, a parliamentary commissioner and medical practitioner, who represented Parliament at the post-mortem, ruled out drug abuse and natural causes.

“During the post-mortem we were able to exclude conditions that kill you suddenly, things like heart attack, blood pressure, blood clot. We also excluded any form of injuries caused by way of using weapons, strangulation, physical strangle or rape,” he said.

Earlier in Kampala, police said the postmortem examination on Nebanda was not conclusive, prompting the pathologists to send the samples to a government laboratory for further tests. According to a police statement, the examination was conducted by a team of pathologists, led by Prof Henry Wabinga, of Makerere University, and the head of Police Medical Services, Dr Moses Byaruhanga, a day after the MP’s sudden death on Friday evening at a city suburb. “It is only after the team of pathologists receives the results of the forensic tests from the government analytical laboratory that determination of the cause of death can be made in a certified postmortem report,” the statement reads in part.

It adds: “Police are making significant progress in developing useful leads from witnesses from a joint team of forensic analysts of the police and the Government Analytical Laboratory, as well as other sources.”

However, in response to the revelations about the MP’s death, some people from her home district of Butaleja have expressed cynicism about the police investigations.
Mr Simon Haumba, an NRM youth mobiliser, said Nebanda’s death had come as a “shock” to the district.

“Whoever did this should definitely be brought to book because master-minding the death of this young and courageous woman was like hanging the people of Butaleja District for she was a legislator with an independent mind, who could not fear speaking out on controversial issues, ” Mr Haumba added.

The NRM chairperson for Butaleja Town Council, Mr Asuman Kawiso, urged the police to investigate and issue a clear report on MP Nebanda’s death. The mood in the district was sombre, as many residents were seen in small groups, discussing the death.

Meanwhile, the Butaleja District Council has organised a special meeting to honour the late Nebanda on Friday.

[email protected]