Suspected serial killer arrested at Ugandan border

Jan 18, 2015

A man believed to have participated in the gruesome murder of a married couple of a remote village in Rakai district has been arrested.


By Davis Buyondo


RAKAI - A man believed to have participated in the gruesome murder of a married couple of a remote village in Rakai district has been arrested.

Police detectives busted Emmanuel Magembe, a rice trader at the Mutukula border – between Uganda and Tanzania – trying to sneak into Tanzania on Friday.

He is reported to be part of a group of assailants that attacked and hacked to death Charles Yiga and Maurine Namata on June 17, 2013.

The grisly murders happened in Sagala village located in Kasaali sub-county, Kyotera town council.

The murderers are said to have made off with some sacks of coffee, a motorcycle Reg. UED 362A. They also reportedly shred to pieces a land agreement and other ‘important’ documents.

A few days after the incident, Rakai police summoned Tom Balojja, the Lyantonde District Education Officer to record a statement in connection with what had happened.

Initial findings by investigators indicated that Balojja and Yiga – who was killed – reportedly had a longstanding wrangle over a small piece of land near Kyotera Academy Secondary School owned by Balojja.
 


Police detectives at the home of the slain couple shortly after the incident. (Photo credit: Davis Buyondo)


‘Mistaken identity’


The owner of the contentious land was interrogated for hours over the said dispute. Interrogators believed the land wrangle could have led to the death of Yiga and his wife.

It is understood Balojja was later released on bond as investigations carried on.

Since then, the police’s flying squad has been hunting for the elusive killers.

Francis Tumwebaze, the District Police Commander, sees Magembe’s arrest as a breakthrough that could help lead police to the other suspects.

He said they are already in touch with different investigators after suspecting that Magembe could be a member of a larger racket of serial killers that has been perpetrating various murders in Rakai and other districts in the region.

However, Magembe denied any connection with the murder to the couple, saying it was a mistaken identity.

The arrested man said further he was busy transacting his businesses at Mutukula when police intercepted him claiming he was a murderer.

On Most Wanted list

According to Taban Chiriga, the District Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Officer, Magembe’s arrest comes at the time when police was up in arms to track and crack down on the killers who are connected to different murders in the district.
 


One of the machetes (pangas) that the assailants used to hack the couple. (Photo credit: Davis Buyondo)


Chiriga said that they have not got any clues yet linking Magembe to other murders, adding that the case is still sensitive.

He further explained that the suspect has been on police’s list of most wanted criminals.

Apart from murder, Chiriga said that Magembe is linked to five other crimes including armed robbery, mobile money shops robbery, car and motorcycle theft, smuggling among others.

He added that they will produce him to court next week after conclusive investigations into the case.

On January 14, 2013, assailants attacked and killed Pastor Steven Mugambe of Kyebe Pentecostal Church along with others including Noeline Nalinya, Berna Nakivumbi, Jane Nakiwala, Christine Nasimbwa, Max Nakirijja, Dan Ssemwanga, Andrew Mpeirwe and Maria Nakajugo Musanya.

Only four minors who hid under the bed survived the incident.

The murder of nine family members in one house captured national headlines, prompting several security organs to embark on an operation to investigate the increased killings in Rakai district.

Police has since arrested three suspects namely Vincent Fagesi, a Tanzanian national (29), Asuman Muddu (18) and Ponsiano Lwakataka, a prominent Ugandan rally driver and charged them with murder on file CRB 015/13 Kasensero police.

As of now, the three suspects have been committed to the High Court for trial.

 

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