State pins UPDF officer on murder of Eritrean businessman

State prosecution has presented detailed evidence pinning he kidnap, robbery, and murder of  an Eritrean businessman on a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) officer. 

Capt Bumali Mangeni, aka Akeem, together with two civilians Benon Duncan Lumu and Andrew Kisitu are charged with murder, kidnap with intent to murder, and aggravated robbery of Daniel Michael Weldu, who was abducted from Kololo in Kampala on October 27, 2016.

Mr Weldu, a resident of Muyenga in Kampala, owned businesses both in Uganda and South Sudan. He had an office at Nakumat Mall.

So far 11 witnesses have testified while others are expected to come from Kenya.

The prosecution evidence presented at trial states that Capt Mangeni and his co-accused allegedly first robbed Weldu of cash and property which included a Toyota Prado worth more than Shs200m.

They then shot him and burnt his body to destroy evidence.
The evidence presented in court by State attorney Jonathan Muwaganya indicates that on October 27, 2016, while at his Nakumat office with his brother Michael Teagas Okuba Weldmmariam, the deceased received a phone call and thereafter told his sibling that he was heading to the German Embassy in Kololo.

After 30 minutes, Mr Weldu called his brother informing him that he was proceeding to his Muyenga home with two men who were to help him process a visa to Germany.

His brother kept calling him but the deceased promised to return to his Nakumat office shortly after.  However, his phone was later switched off, which Mr Weldmmariam found suspicious. 
He called the deceased’s home in Muyenga and was told the deceased had

driven into the compound, but did not come out of the vehicle. 
Instead, an unidentified man came out of the vehicle, moved around the compound and returned to the car which drove away.

Prosecution states that after the deceased left his home with the strangers, he called another brother Isaac Weldu and instructed him to go to his house in Muyenga to pick a cheque of Stanbic Bank and take it to him at Housing Finance Bank in Kololo.

“At Kololo, Isaac found the deceased in his vehicle with two unidentified men, one of whom was wearing a military uniform. After delivering the cheque leaf, the deceased told his brother to go, promising to call him in case of anything else,” the prosecution indictment reads in part.

The indictment says a few minutes later, the businessman sent Isaac a message, using an unknown number saying if he disappeared, he should be traced on the said number. 

The family immediately reported to Jinja Road Police Station and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters and investigations commenced.
The family was interviewed and detectives obtained phone printouts of Weldu’s call history and indentified the last number that frequently called him from Kololo Hospital and Golf Course before the kidnap.

According to the prosecution, detectives found that it’s the same sim card Mr Lumu used to call and lure Weldu to Kololo where he was kidnapped.
Upon arrest, Mr Lumu reportedly admitted to participating in the kidnap and told investigators that he had been contacted by his friends Capt Mangeni and one Eddie Nsubuga asking him to be part of the kidnap and robbery mission. Nsubuga is still on the run.

“Along the way, A1 (accused number one, Capt Mangeni) removed a syringe containing liquid and sole tape and passed it over to A3 (accused number 3, Kisitu) to inject the deceased. A3 injected the deceased on the neck and tied both his hands. A3 also sealed the deceased’s mouth with sole tape and ordered him to kneel down,” the prosecution evidence states.

Before Mr Kisitu left the gang, they allegedly searched Weldu’s pockets and $1,800 (about Shs7m) was removed and shared it among themselves.
Capt Mangeni and Mr Lumu then drove Weldu to Kenya through the Busia border where they killed him, a few kilometres inside Kenya.

Kenya police later recovered a burnt human body at the scene on October 27, 2016 and led the Uganda police investigators to Busia Country referral hospital mortuary where the body had been kept.

Capt Mangeni and his co-accused later led police to the crime scene where two spent cartridges, two bullet heads, a match box, burnt pieces of suspected human flesh and other exhibits were recovered.

Arrests
After his arrest, Mr Benon Duncan Lumu led police to the home of Capt Bumali Mangeni who was also arrested. Upon interrogation, Capt Mangeni admitted to the kidnap and murder of the Eritrean businessman, according to the prosecution evidence.

Mr Andrew Kisitu was arrested when he visited Capt Mangeni and Lumu at the Special Investigations Unit in Kireka.  

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