Killer gun in Akena murder still missing - police

Kampala- An officer who was part of the investigation team yesterday told court that they did not recover the gun which suspect Mathew Kanyamunyu allegedly used to shoot child activist Kenneth Akena.

The eighth prosecution witness, Mr Deogratius Obongo, said the investigators searched both homes of businessman Kanyamunyu and his girlfriend Cynthia Munwangari but they did not find any gun.

Mr Obongo narrated that on November 13, 2016, he was called by his boss who informed him that there was a victim who had been shot. Thereafter, he and four other police officers proceeded to Norvik Hospital where they were told that the victim was called Akena.

The 44-year-old officer added that on that same day they went to Jinja Road Police Station where Kanyamunyu and Munwangari were being held.
“Our focus was to recover the firearm, so we went to Luzira in Port Bell at Munwangari’s residence with the help of her brother Rahul Munwangari and Kanyamunyu but we did not find anything of evidential value during the search. We proceeded to Kanyamunyu’s residence at Butabiika Royal Palm but also did not find anything,” Mr Obongo narrated.

Court further heard that the investigation team went back to Munwangari’s house the next day to recover Kanyamunyu’s long sleeve sky blue shirt he had left behind the previous day.

It is reported that police also recovered a bundle of four keys, two phones, a Samsung and Huawei, red knife and one left-foot shoe of the deceased from Kanyamunyu’s Prado car which was parked at Wandegeya Police Station.

Mr Obongo also told court that the scene of crime officer took photographs of Kanyamunyu’s shirt. However, when asked by one of the defence lawyers, Mr Caleb Alaka, during cross-examination to tell whether they marked the photos and know their location, he replied in the negative.

The witness also told court that they moved the shirt from where it had been first placed to take pictures.
However, the trial judge Stephen Mubiru faulted him for not taking the pictures in the shirt’s first location before moving it elsewhere for clear shooting.

The ninth prosecution witness, Mr Patrick Alunyo, a police officer who recorded Kanyamunyu’s statement while in custody at Jinja Road Police Station, said the suspect informed him that he and Munwangari were coming from Kololo heading to their home in Luzira, but upon reaching Uganda Manufacturers Association Show grounds in Lugogo, another speeding car bypassed and blocked them which forced the accused to make a U-turn.

Mr Alunyu said Kanyamunyu claimed two people came out of the small vehicle and blocked them but shortly after as he was getting out, he heard a gunshot and he saw two people moving out with one crying “please help and take me to hospital.”
He said the second person disappeared.

“He said he came out to help the crying person with the assistance of his wife to take them to Victoria Medical Centre, but there was no standby doctor at night and they were referred to Nakasero Hospital. He said Kanyamunyu told him that he then drove to Wandegeya Police Station where we actually found him,” Mr Alunyu testified.

The police added that Kanyamunyu told him that on the fateful day Akena was shot, he (Kanyamunyu ) was fearing for the life of his co-accused girlfriend Munwangari whom he claimed was being sought after by Burundi government.

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