Justice eludes Kaweesi in death for four years

It has been four years since assistant Inspector General of Police Andrew Felix Kaweesi was killed but justice has yet to be  delivered. 

Kaweesi, together with his driver Godfrey Wambewa and bodyguard Kenneth Erau, were shot dead on March 17, 2017, a few metres away from Kaweesi’s home in Kulambiro, Kampala as they went to work.

Initially, about 50 suspects were arrested by a joint team of police, Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and Internal Security Organisation (ISO). 

They were detained and interrogated in various places over time. 

After protracted interrogations by security units, nearly half of the suspects were dropped from the indictment due to lack of evidence against them. 

Only 23 were taken to court and charged of which 15 were released on bail.

The remaining eight were indicted for aggravated robbery, murder and terrorism.

They are: Aramazan Higenyi, Abdulrashid Mbazira, Shafik Kasujja, Joshua Kyambadde Magezi, Yusuf Mugerwa, Bruhan Balyejusa, Yusuf Nyanzi and Jibril Kalyango. 

One of their defence lawyers, Mr Anthony Wameli, said they expect the case to resume this week. 

Some of those arrested were said to be Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels, who were later remanded.

They include Ahmed Ssenfuka, Musa Ntende, Hassan Tumusiime, Ibrahim Kissa, Hamid Magambo, Abdul- Majid Ojerere, Sauda Ayub, Osman Muhammed Omar, and Asuman Mugoya.

After more than six months on remand without trial, they applied for bail in Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court.
At least 22 of them sued government for torture during detention by security personnel. 

Defence lawyers accused the prosecution of keeping their clients on trial or in prison unjustifiably. 

Prosecution has also been accused of delivering exhibit reports to the defence in bits instead of one lump. 
In October 2017, the High Court ruled in their favour and awarded them compensation of Shs1.7b.

In May, 2018, the investigators followed another tip presented by ISO that Kaweesi could have been killed by his colleagues over an alleged power struggle. 

The team investigated several implicated senior police officers including then Inspector General of Police Gen Kale Kayihura and former commander of the Flying Squad Herbert Muhangi.

The ISO operatives shared an audio they had purportedly recorded after tapping into a conversation between Gen Kayihura and Mr Muhangi about Kaweesi’s murder. 

Detectives also recorded statements from both officers, who denied participating in the killing or having knowledge of who the killers were. 

The audio was later subjected to analysis and was found to be a fabrication by ISO.

An analysis of phone call data history also showed that the implicated officers were not at the places the alleged eyewitnesses claimed they were at the time of the said conversation. 

The investigating team found that eyewitnesses that ISO had brought forward were either conjuring evidence or had been coached. 

They recommended that those who gave fabricated information be charged with giving false information to public officers.
The investigations hit a dead end after that.

The families of both the accused and the victims have been waiting for justice for four years and are watching to see whether the case will finally kick off next week.