Court remands Tabula to Luzira prison

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Mwanga 2 Magistrates Court has remanded Tabula Lujja, the prime suspect in the murder of Ndiga Clan head Daniel Bbosa Kakeedo, to Luzira Prison.

Bbosa was gunned down near his home in Lungujja, a Kampala suburb, on February 24, 2024, by assailants on a motorcycle. Lujja, who had been on the run for about six months, was arrested last week by Crime Intelligence officers from Kimelika-Namulonge, Busikuma.

On Monday afternoon, Lujja appeared before the court, presided over by Principal Grade One Magistrate Adams Byarugaba. He was charged with the murder of Bbosa. State Attorney Caroline Mpumwire requested to amend the charge sheet to include Lujja as a suspect. The amended charge sheet was accepted by the court, and the charges were read to Lujja in Luganda.

The court heard that on February 25, 2024, at Kikandwa, Lubaga Division, Lujja, with malice aforethought, caused the death of Daniel Bbosa. Magistrate Byarugaba informed Lujja that he did not have jurisdiction over capital offenses and that Lujja would be remanded to prison.

State Attorney Mpumwire stated that investigations are complete and requested an adjournment to prepare committal papers for trial in the High Court. “As earlier informed, the case is capital in nature, your co-accused are already in prison, and you are now going on remand until October 3rd, 2024,” said Byarugaba.

Before the charges were read, Lujja was transported to court under tight security using a drone. He spent about 40 minutes inside the court premises before being taken to the court cells. On his way to the cells, Lujja, who appeared unremorseful, said Luganda proverbs suggesting “Tit for Tat” or “an eye for an eye.”

He later remarked that he does not regret hiring the two killers, Serunkuma and Noah Lujja, who he said finished off Bbosa’s life. Lujja admitted to orchestrating the murder but claimed it was to secure his ancestors’ rightful ownership of the Lwomwa seat. He asserted that even if he remained in jail or died there, he would have ensured his lineage’s claim to the seat.

Background

On Friday, Tabula was brought to Buganda Road Court to record an extrajudicial statement under tight security. An extrajudicial statement is an utterance made out-of-court, including confessions or admissions that can be used against the maker. Sources indicate that Lujja cited three main reasons for the murder: revenge for the 1989 killing of his father, Israel, allegedly by Lwomwa and his family; the sale of Ndiga clan land in Mbale, Mpigi; and the desecration of his ancestor’s grave by building a toilet on it; and Lwomwa’s opposition to his bid for ownership of the Namulonge land.

Lujja allegedly claimed that four out of five people initially arrested were innocent, except for his nephew, Noah Lujja.  The others charged are Harriet Nakiguli, a resident of Nkere Corner Zone, Kawempe Division, Joseph Nakabale, a carpenter from Gala, Mpigi Town Council, Ezra Mayanja, a carpenter from Kiganda Zone, Kawempe, and Milly Naluwenda, the Secretary to the Kisekwa Cultural Court of Buganda, from Kitunzi Zone 7, Rubaga Division. Lujja clarified that Milly Naluwenda was only involved in informing him of Lwomwa’s murder and was not part of the plot.

He also denied involvement in human sacrifice, explaining that the 17 skulls found at his shrine were for ancestral purposes. Chief Magistrate Ronald Kayizzi warned Lujja that his statements would be used against him during the trial. Before Bbossa’s death, there was a longstanding dispute within the Kingdom, dating back over 480 years.

The Buganda Cultural Court, known as Court Yakisekwa, had previously directed Bbossa to step down from leadership due to discrepancies over the clan’s true descendants.

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