Second suspect in Gen Katumba assassination attempt shot dead

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A second suspect in the June 1st attempted assassination of Gen Edward Katumba Wamala has been shot dead. The four-star General was attacked at Kisota road where his daughter Brenda Nantongo and driver Haruna Kayondo were killed on spot.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Paul Lokech, who is the overall supervisor of the investigating team said Mustafa Kawawa Ramadan, alias Amin was killed while attempting to flee from security personnel that were retrieving killer guns from the home of one Juma Seiko in Kanyogoga village, Bukasa parish, in Makindye division.

Maj Gen Lokech had on Thursday briefed the media that Hussein Lubwama alias Master was shot dead when he attempted to fight the forces that had zeroed on him. Security alleges that Master was the person who shot several bullets on the right side of Gen Katumba’s military vehicle leaving Nantongo and Kayondo dead.

However, Gen Lokech contradicted himself on Friday when he said Master before he was shot dead revealed that he had given the gun to Kasambira Siriman alias Mukwasi. This raises the question of how did the suspect who fought forces arresting him to the extent of being shot dead, share information about who was hiding the gun.

Although Gen Lokech insists that Amin was killed in the wee hours of Friday while fleeing from Juma Seiko’s home, security sources had revealed yesterday evening that two suspects had been shot dead after the vital information had been extracted from them.

But Gen Lokech maintains the narrative that Master’s information helped to arrest Mukwasi who later revealed that he had also handed over the gun to Mustafa Kawawa Ramadan alias Amin. Amin who is now dead according to Gen Lokech first took them to Kagoma, then Nansana until Mukwasi convinced him to reveal where the guns were being hidden.

“Upon arrest, Mukwasi claimed that somebody called Amin had picked the guns from him. Amin stays in Maganjo B LC1. Upon the arrest of Amin, he claimed that the gun had been surrendered over to Juma Sserwadda, a chapatti seller in Namuwongo. Amin first took us to Kagoma, he came back to Nansana and at around 1:47, he revealed Juma Sserwadda. This was after Mukwasi pushed Amin to tell us where the guns were,” Gen Lokech said.

The investigating team proceeded to Namuwongo and arrested Sserwadda who reportedly named Juma Seiko as the person who was hiding the gun. Sserwadda led the investigators to Seiko’s home in Kanyogoga where he was found with his family in a two-bedroom house.

Seiko led the forces to the poultry house where was allegedly keeping the guns in a hole dug inside. Gen Lokech exhibited two SMG rifles and a pistol allegedly recovered from Seiko’s house. Security says the Directorate of Forensic Science headed by Andrew Mubiru has since analysed the bullet casings which match with those recovered from Maj Muhammad Kiggundu and AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi murder scenes.

Maj Kiggundu was shot dead on November 26, 2016, at Masanafu, Lubaga division in Kampala while AIGP Kaweesi was assassinated on March 17, 2017, at Kulambiro road in Nakawa division in Kampala.

“What is our finding of Juma Seiko. Our team continued to protect the scene. They continued searching the area. As I was coming to brief you, we have now known that the rider who was riding Master in an orange jacket was Juma Seiko. We found the jacket and helmet in the ceiling,” Gen Lokech said.

Gen Lokech links all the suspects in the Gen Katumba attack, in the killing of Maj Kiggundu and AIGP Kaweesi to ADF terror cell commanded by one Sheikh Abudin Hubaida Taheel Bukenya allegedly on the run. But security has not satisfactorily answered the question of why two vital unarmed suspects who could have been vital in revealing more information have been shot dead instead of shooting to maim.

*****

URN