CID boss suspended over Ssebuwufu

By Vision Reporters

As the mystery behind the shocking death of Betty Katusabe continues to unravel, heads are rolling at Kampala Central police station.

The CID (Criminal Investigations Directorate) boss, Kampala Metropolitan, Rebecca Namugenyi, was Monday suspended from duty following reports that she
mishandled a suspected murder case involving the notorious car dealer, Mohammed Ssebuwufu, commonly known as the Pine boss.

Polly Namaye, the deputy Uganda police force spokesperson, confirmed that though Namugenyi was not given a written notice she was ordered to stay away to make room for investigations.

Fred Enanga, the Police spokesperson also confirmed that Aaron Baguma, the DPC Central Police Station; Ronald Mugabi, the CPS in charge; and other junior officers have been summoned by the Professional Standards Unit to shed light on Ssebuwufu's case.

Ssebuwufu is currently being held at Special Investigations Division Kireka, together with other suspects that have since
been identified by other victims of Sebuwufu who came forward with complaints of torture and illegal detention against him.

Sulaiman Kafeero is one of such victims. He told the Police, after positively identifying Sebuwufu's accomplices at
CPS, that he was illegally detained and tortured over a debt of sh800, 000.

He said he purchased a Toyota Calidina, UAF 690Y, from Bashir Kasendwa who worked for Ssebuwufu . He was given the car, but not the registration card until completion of the money.

He too sold the car to a third party after running into financial troubles, but the buyer had a balance of sh800,000 payable when he got the card from Kafeero.

However Kafeero says when he went back to Kasendwa he was told he had passed away. He then started dealing with
Kasendwa's father and they agreed how he would pay up.

Last month when Kafeero went to meet him he was grabbed by two muscle men who accused him of being a thief. They put him on a boda boda and told him they were taking him to police, but instead took him to the notorious Pine car dealership.

While there, he was shoved into a room and handcuffed till Ssebuwufu showed up. His  relief that he was finally meeting the boss to discuss amicably was short lived as Ssebuwufu instead pressed the handcuffs against his arm, digging into
his flesh.

Meanwhile the muscled men kicked and punched him, demanding for the sh800,000.

Ssebuwufu then ordered him  to commit to an agreement that he would pay up sh1.5m on 29/09/2015. He was also threatened.

"I am the government; traffic can stop just for me to pass. I can stake money that they will hunt for you and fail to find you. I work with big shots in government. You better pay up fast and avoid trouble," Kafeero quotes Ssebuwufu as having threatened him.

Murder of Katusabe

Betty Katusabe Dona Betty Katusabe, a businesswoman, reportedly bought a Toyota Premio from Ssebuwufu at sh19m and paid sh10m. Demands for the outstanding balance (sh9m) reportedly led to her torture and subsequent death mid last
week.

After Katusabe bought the car from Ssebuwufu, she promised to clear the sh9m in two week, a promise, she is said to have failed to meet. On learning that Katusabe had failed to pay the balance, Ssebuwufu allegedly went to her home in Bwebajja located on Entebbe Road and picked her and drove to his office, where she was allegedly beaten.


Hours later, Ssebuwufu’s aides reportedly took Katusabe to CPS. She was said to have been weak, having reportedly
sustained a heavy beating, forcing the Police to rush her to Mulago Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Katusabe was buried in Kasese on Sunday. She was a former employee of Centenary Bank and joined the car trade
recently.

Yesterday, Ssebuwufu remained detained at the Police Special Investigations Division in Kireka and his accomplices were still held at different Police stations in Kampala. He is facing murder and torture charges.

Referring to the incident, the Police chief, Gen. Kale Kayihura, over the weekend said: “We acknowledge that the first Police officers who handled the investigations were negligent and this led to the delay in submission of the file to the directorate of Public Prosecutions for sanctioning. They are now facing investigations by the Professional Standards Unit.”

“I have information that officers in Kampala have been killing cases against Ssebuwufu. “I call upon those with information to come forward or call 0712 667718 for justice to prevail.”