Series 2: Testimonies that link Kayihura to Kaweesi murder

Oct 30, 2018

Rwogamutyarize said he was promised a three-storeyed house in Kiwatule, worth sh500m and a sports utility vehicle (Toyota Land Cruiser, silver in colour) for his role in the murder of Kaweesi.

What witnesses presented by ISO said:

RWOGAMUTYARIZE
Rwogamutyarize, 34, claims that around 2012, he was approached by one Livingstone Senyondo to deliver packages in Namugongo and Buziga, which he later discovered contained guns. He claims he brought this information to the attention of the Police, CMI and ISO, but no one trusted him and he continued delivering the packages.

He claims that around 2015, after running several errands, Senyondo introduced him to Kayihura and while in Wakiso for a meeting with Kayihura, Agasiirwe took him for other security operations. Rwogamutyarize claimed that later he met Agasiirwe at his home in Kololo, who connected him to several security personnel, among them Muhangi.

He claims that there was later, a meeting at Nyondo Pub along Entebbe Road attended by Ndahura, Mwesigwa, Muhangi, Baroza, Agasiirwe, Ndaboine, Kitagenda and others for final preparations to assassinate a high-profile government official (names withheld).

He said the group trailed the government official up to a certain bar in Kololo. He claims he was ordered to move closer and get a clear hit on the target, but was later told to abort the mission on realising that there were CCTV cameras.

Rwogamutyarize claimed that on March 10, 2017, he was summoned to Indigo Bar in Nakasero, where he found Ndahura, Mwesigwa, Muhangi, Baroza, Agasiirwe, Ndaboine, Tumukunde, Kitagenda, Katende, Kimbowa and Mbabazi. In this meeting, the operation to bump off the senior government official was halted and they were briefed about the more urgent mission to assassinate Kaweesi.

Rwogamutyarize told the team that he and Kimbowa were assigned to ride the motorcycles carrying Muhangi and Tumukunde who allegedly were the gunmen. He alleged that in the same meeting, Ndahura paid Mbabazi money for her role of allegedly spying on Kaweesi and money for Kaweesi's driver and the bodyguard. Rwogamutyarize said he was promised a three-storey house in Kiwatule, worth sh500m and a sports utility vehicle (Toyota Land Cruiser, silver in colour).

He said on March 17, 2017, at around 2:00am, the group held their last meeting at Kati Kati restaurant before they set off to the operation area in Kulambiro. He alleged that the killer group, purportedly comprising Muhangi, Tumukunde as shooters and Kimbowa and himself as riders, arrived at the scene at around 6:30am and waited for Kaweesi's vehicle to get out of the gate.

They started firing at Kaweesi's vehicle from 7:40am to 7:52am and that the whole operation lasted 12 minutes. He said he opened the door to confirm whether Kaweesi had a bullet proof jacket and that about 27 bullets entered into Kaweesi's body. He claimed that others at the scene as a backup included Kitagenda, Katende, Agasiirwe, Mwesigwa and Bakaleke.

He claimed that prior to the shooting, he saw Kaweesi on phone communicating and after the warning shots by Tumukunde, he saw the driver apply the handbrake to stop the vehicle. Rwogamutyarize alleged that Kaweesi's driver had been briefed by the killer group to stop the vehicle after hearing the warning shots. He said Tumukunde picked a bag containing a laptop from the vehicle which he later handed over to Muhangi at around Shell fuel station, Mulago.

He purported that the group exited the scene on two motorcycles, taking the route of Kyanja, Gayaza, Mulago then Wandegeya and that they deposited their guns on the alleged waiting UPDF motor vehicle which belonged to a one Maj. Dick. Subsequently, the hired motorcycles were returned to Ndeeba and that the group used satellite phones throughout their mission.

He said on March 28, 2017, he was arrested by the officer in charge Nansana Police Station, on instructions of Ndahura and questioned on what he knew about the murder of Kaweesi. He denied the charges and was released the following day.

ODONGO (ISO)
Another witness presented by ISO is Odongo. He is the head of offensive cyber security in ISO.

He says following the death of Kaweesi, he was instructed by Kaka to establish whether there were any satellite phones deployed in the area of Kulambiro at around the time of the murder. He said on March 7, 2017, there were seven satellite phones active in Kulambiro area. He stated that the seven handsets were in communication with each other. He said one of the satellite phones received a local call and tagged it making it part of this conference call. The investigations allegedly revealed the owner to be Kayihura.

Odongo said one of the satellite phones around Kulambiro called Muhangi and Muhangi also forwarded a call to a number belonging to Kayihura, but the person on a satellite phone did not say anything, but left Kayihura and Muhangi to talk. The call, according to Odongo, lasted 27 minutes, from 8:09am to 8:36am, and that is when the voice conversation was intercepted.

According to Odongo, the satellite phones moved from Kulambiro to Mulago roundabout, Wandegeya, Kampala Road, Kololo and finally to Naguru. It was alleged the official handset of the deceased also moved in the same path, meaning that someone took it from the scene of crime Kulambiro to Mulago roundabout, Wandegeya, Kampala Road, Kololo, Naguru and finally back to Kulambiro, where it was later discovered.

Odongo says in Wandegeya, the number of satellite phones increased from seven to eight on that fateful morning. They went off line at 7:00pm on March 17, 2017.

LUMU
Lumu, a driver, said on March 17, 2017, at about 7:00am, he left his aunt's place in Kulambiro going to Tuba Police post to report the loss of his driving permit. He allegedly met two men wearing helmets and jackets resembling those of Police, pretending to be repairing a motorcycle. As he came closer to their location, one of them tried to pull something from the pocket which scared him and decided to return where he had come from.

NINSIIMA
Ninsiima said she was working as a bar attendant at a local bar near Kaweesi's home. She said on March 17, 2017, at around 8:00am, while cleaning and arranging the place, she saw two motorcycles following Kaweesi's vehicle along Kulambiro-Kisasi road. The bar is located about 25 metres from the crime scene. She stated that each motorcycle had two people — the rider and a passenger — who were wearing jackets and hoods. The passenger on the first motorcycle shot at the vehicle and deflated the rear tyre, forcing it to stop. When the vehicle came to a halt, the gunmen went off the motorcycles, broke the rear window using gun butts and fired more shots inside the vehicle. One of the gunmen opened one of the vehicle doors and shot one of the occupants. After the shooting, the gunmen jumped onto their motorcycles and took off.

KIGGUNDU
A bodaboda rider at Jomayi stage in Kulambiro, Kiggundu said on March 17, 2017 at about 5:30am, he reported to his stage for normal business and after two trips he realised that his motorcycle had run out of fuel. As he prepared to get the fuel, he parked his motorcycle at Kaboko, a nearby trading centre. In the process of looking for fuel, he was joined by his friends, one called Geoffrey, Sweet Pepsi and Kakonge, who offered him a bottle of beer. Shortly after, he saw the late Kaweesi's vehicle move from his home on Kulambiro-Kisasi road, but heard gun shots as soon as it bypassed him.

Out of fear, he ran away, but was later called back to the scene by one of his friends called Michael. From the scene, he went back to Kaboko trading centre to wait for one Tamale, whom he had sent for fuel. While there, he got a telephone call from a fellow bodaboda rider called Kironde, informing him that his motorcycle was being surrounded by security personnel, including the LC1 chairman of the area.

He was subsequently arrested and detained at Kiira Road Police Division and later shifted to Kireka-Special Investigation Division (SID). He remained under Police detention until May 4, 2017, when he was released on Police bond.

MBABAZI
Mbabazi joined the Police Force in 1998 and is now the in-charge of the Forensics Unit at Kampala Metropolitan Police area.

She states that she has known Mbabazi (Christine Mbabazi Umuhooza) since 2015 and confirmed that the latter confided in her that Kaweesi had disclosed to her (Umuhoza) that the then IGP (Kayihura) had plans to kill him. This took place on the day Kaweesi was killed.

NNYINDO'S EVIDENCE

Nnyindo said at the time of the murder (of Kaweesi), he and a one Mukwasi were working as mechanics at Bashir Motor Garage and Transporters in Ndeeba, Kampala. He stated on the fateful day, at about 6:30am, he and Mukwasi were in Kulambiro near the gate of Kaweesi to repair a vehicle, a Toyota Harrier that had broken down the night before. He said at around 8:00am, he saw a Super Custom vehicle stop near the gate and a Police officer he later came to know as Mwesigwa came out and talked to the Policeman who was at the gate of Kaweesi.

Nnyindo alleged that at about 9:00am, he saw Kaweesi's vehicle coming out of the gate into the main road and immediately his friend Mukwasi began video recording the movement of the motor vehicle using his smartphone allegedly for purposes of showing the same to his fellow workers in the garage. He said about 70 metres from the gate, he saw a certain man waving down the vehicle to stop.

As soon as it stopped, he saw four men on motorcycles begin shooting at the vehicle. Nnyindo said the assailants shot in their direction after realising that someone (Mukwasi) was recording the incident and that three gun shots hit the vehicle they were repairing, forcing them to flee to the nearby banana plantation. Nnyindo stated that while running through the banana plantation, they were stopped by an elderly woman, who allegedly took them back to the scene.

He said he saw a man in plain clothes with two armed escorts in plain clothes, come and scoop blood that had spilt down and placed it in a plastic container. He said the scooping of blood happened before the arrival of the Police. Nnyindo stated that when the Police arrived at the murder scene, the elderly woman gave information that the two knew something about the murder and they were arrested and taken to Tuba Police Post, where they were detained for two days before being taken to Naguru Police Headquarters by the Division Police Commander Kiira Road to meet Kayihura.

He alleged that while in the parking yard at Police headquarters, they saw Mwesigwa dressed in Police uniform and confirmed him to have been the officer who talked to the Police guard at the gate of the deceased before the incident. Nnyindo stated that they were escorted to Kayihura's by the DPC (names withheld), where they narrated what they had witnessed and even showed him the phone video recording.

Nnyindo stated that after the IGP watched the recordings, his mood changed and he started communicating with Mwesigwa in a local dialect (Runyankore), but they did not understand the language. Nnyindo claimed that their phones were retained after being forced to give in their passwords, were subsequently taken to Sheron Hotel in Kasubi, where they stayed for three months while being tortured.

Nnyindo said when they were eventually released, they learnt that Mukwasi was murdered and his body discovered along the Masaka- Mbarara highway. Nnyindo stated that later, he gave the information to a journalist who linked him to Lt. Juuko of ISO and that is where he has been under witness protection with others.

Mbabazi testimony
Mbabazi was also among the witnesses fielded by ISO to pin Kayihura and other officers on the murder of Kaweesi.

She says she has stayed in different countries; Kenya, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and currently in Uganda. She is fluent in Kinyarwanda, Swahili, Lingala, speaks some English, Luganda and Runyankore and is a single mother of three biological children and two adopted ones. Mbabazi says she was a mistress to Kaweesi and that he (Kaweesi) had confided in her that Kayihura wanted him dead.

She stated that Kayihura had instructed Ndaboine to bug the deceased's vehicle so that his (Kaweesi's) movements and communications are monitored. Mbabazi stated that Kaweesi gave her a flash disc containing Kayihura's "dirty deals" and missions with Rwanda of which the deceased was alleged to have knowledge. It is on the basis that she suspected that Kayihura was behind the Kaweesi murder.

But when the joint team asked Mbabazi about Rwogamutyarize, she stated that when Kaka invited her to Tal Cottages in Kabusu-Rubaga, she was told that there was a witness that had implicated her in the murder of the late Kaweesi. She also said she had been involved in different covert Police operations conducted in Tanzania and Kenya against subversive activities against Uganda.

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