Lawyers seek fresh investigation in Chameleon's murder case

KAMPALA - The lawyers representing the relatives of late Robert Karamagi, who is alleged to have been murdered at Singer Joseph Mayanja alias Jose Chameleon's home, have asked the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) to conduct fresh investigations in the case.

On Friday, Luyimbazi Nalukoola and Evans Ochieng petitioned the DPP to allow them to join the team investigationg the case in a bid to have Chameleon prosecuted.

"The purpose of this communication is to put forth the plight of this family and to request that you prevail over this matter and fresh investigations be carried out so as to ascertain the truth of the murder," Nalukoola requested.

The lawyers also said that in the alternative, their client be allowed by the DPP to engage private investigators and institute private proceedings against Chameleon and his cronies.

The letter was copied to the office of the President, Inspector General of Police (IGP), speaker of Parliament, Director Criminal Investigation's Department (CID) at Kibuli, Police legal department, United Nations Human Rights, and Uganda Human Rights Commission.

According to the lawyers, they had been instructed by the father of the deceased Maj. Benedicto Kyamanywa to represent him in regard to the alleged murder of his son Karamagi, which occurred on December 27, 2012.

They say their client's family has never got justice pertaining the murder of their son.

"Our clients believe that (someone) compromised all the detectives who were deployed to investigate the case in order to suffocate it and to ensure justice is not done," Nalukoola noted.

He said this anarchy and barbaric act does not only impact negatively on the rule of law but it is also an act of impunity which must be investigated and the culprits brought to justice.

It is alleged that Karamagi was tortured and burnt at Chameleon's residence in Seguku, off Entebbe road.

However, before the demise of Karamagi at Mulago hospital, Maj Kyamanywa said his son told him that "I was tied with a rope and burnt with aviation fuel inside Mayanja's home as I pleaded for mercy".

The death of Karamagi was first reported at Katwe Police Station on reference no KMP/E/01/2013.

Recently, the DPP in consultation with investigators agreed to close the file after they analyzed the evidence on record and found it insufficient to sustain the allegations on murder. The decision was also communicated to the deceased's relatives.

Following the development, the relatives of the deceased on May 4, 2015 in company of one Inspector Poteri filed a complaint to the DPP, stating that they had established that their file was closed without their knowledge and requested for review because they had received new evidence.
 
Consequently, the DPP perused through the new evidence and found out that there was nothing new that was never investigated and decided to close it again.
 
Chameleon's family inisted that Karamagi burnt himself.
 
When the story first broke in 2013, the family claimed that Karamagi broke into Chameleone's home on Boxing Day and died due to severe burns he sustained in the botched attack.
 
That he gained access to the singer's home whose gate at the time was unmanned on Boxing Day.
 
The singer's wife Daniella Mayanja narrated that she had just woken up and was in their bedroom when she heard movements in the sitting room. She said at first she thought pets they keep at home were the ones playing around but realized they were human movements.
 
She said at the time Chameleone was asleep as he had come in late after a hectic festive season schedule. She said she went to the sitting room and found a man whom she asked what he wanted. The man just turned and walked towards the door unbothered.
 
She said she then called Chameleon to come to the sitting room. As she waited for him she started grilling the man on what he was doing in their home. She said he then proceeded to collect a 5-litre jerrycan he had placed somewhere and tried to douse her in what turned out to be petrol.
 
However as fate would have it, the petrol instead spilled on him as Daniella stood transfixed. The man then retrieved a lighter which he had meant to torch her with, and proceeded to light it up.
 
The man instantly became a ball of fire and started writhing in pain and screaming for help. The Police were then called in and arrested the man who was later whisked to Mulago national referral hospital and admitted.