Detective pins ex-Makerere student on girlfriend’s death

A police detective yesterday told court that Makerere University medical student Mathew Kirabo, the prime suspect in the murder of his then girlfriend Desire Mirembe, confessed to killing her and dumping the body in a sugar cane plantation in Jinja City.

Testifying before presiding judge Henry Isabirye Kaweesa yesterday, Mr Dominic Manyi submitted that Kirabo, upon arrest reconstructed the scene of crime as he narrated to police how he slashed his girlfriend to death with a blade.

“The suspect (Kirabo) confessed to have killed Mirembe. I interviewed him and he explained how he did it. In preparation for that (interview), we had to take a video of him confessing and he said he knows the deceased and he is the one who murdered her,” the police officer told court.

He added: “He took us to the sugarcane plantation where the body was found.”
Mr Manyi, the third prosecution witness, said on July 31, 2015, he received a delegation from police headquarters including Joel Ayiko, AIG Chris Ahimbisibwe, a one ASP Kirabo and Turyagyenda.

He added that the delegation came with Kirabo to Lugazi Police Station.
The detective further told court that Kirabo told police that he picked Mirembe from Ark Hostel in Katanga, Kampala, where she was residing and the two went to a shopping mall in the city to iron out some relationship differences.

The officer said the two travelled to Bugiri District from where they engaged in an altercation.
“Kirabo said they branched off [in a vehicle] to Bulyatete Village in Buikwe District and stopped there for some time in the car, talking over the issues. Mirembe removed a surgical blade from her bag and got out of the car. Kirabo told her to say her last words and she said she loved her father, mother, and aunt and then she cut herself,” the detective said.

“Kirabo said he then cut her deeply and stood there for some time looking at her dying,” Mr Manyi added.
While testifying in court last week, Mr Emmanuel Musoke, Mirembe’s father, said he was optimistic that his daughter would have become a medical doctor if her life had not been gruesomely taken.

The second prosecution witness, Pastor Isaiah Mbuga, the lead pastor of Christ Heart Ministries International told court that Mirembe approached him for counselling, citing misunderstandings in her relationship.
By press time, the detective was set to be cross-examined on his testimony by the defence lawyer.