Family struggles to get body of murdererd Makerere student

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There was drama at Kampala Capital City Authority – KCCA mortuary at Mulago on Friday as the siblings of the murdered Makerere University student, Jackline Nakabembe, demanded for her body.

Nakabembe was murdered at the start of last month by her boyfriend Dicken Agumeneitwe.

Trouble started when the mortuary team said they had not received any official notification allowing the family to exhume Nakabembe’s body that was buried at KCCA cemetery in Bukasa, Kira Municipality in Wakiso district.

It was at this moment the deceased’s elder brother Henry Lumu backed by the victim’s classmates said they were tired of being tossed up and down for the whole week yet they had fulfilled all the criteria needed to exhume the body.

“You said we must have a court order to exhume the body and we got it. You then said you needed our blood samples for DNA and we also complied. You told us to get clearance from KCCA and we have got it. We are tired of keeping mourners for the whole week waiting for the body. We no longer have what to serve mourners,” said Lumu.

Edith Nakayizi, one of the deceased classmates said they had to involve the office of the deputy Lord Mayor in order to meet all the requirements needed to exhume Nakabembe’s body. When other relatives and Makerere University classmates joined the protest for keeping mourners waiting for days, the KCCA mortuary team agreed to lead them to Bukasa cemetery where it was exhumed and finally handed over to them.

“I don’t know what our sister did before dying. Why would people keep us guessing when we would be getting the body? We can’t cry about her murder and also cry for not getting her body. But finally, we have been helped by the deputy lord mayor’s office,” said Nakayizzi.

Few days ago Agumeneitwe, who first acted as a person with mental illness, kept giving uncoordinated accounts to the Kira Road Police homicide team until he was handed over to the Flying Squad head office at Kampala Central Police Station -CPS. This was after the police surgeon proved that he had no mental disorders.

While at CPS, Agumeneitwe, explained that he suspected Nakabembe to be cheating on him and he decided to trick her. He said that he used her second sim card to disguise himself as a new boyfriend until Nakabembe agreed to meet him thinking she was going to meet a new person.

“When she reached where I was and noticed that I was the person who had been disguising as a new boyfriend, she knelt down and started apologizing to me. I held her hand as we headed to my home in Go-Down. But I decided to sit with her under the tree. It was at that spot that I gave her a heavy punch near the breast and she immediately stopped breathing,” said Agumeneitwe.

Agumeneitwe is said to be a serial criminal who has been in and out of jail over rape and robbery cases. He was released from Luzira mid-this year after spending nearly four years in jail over rape.

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