Late Nebanda was warned against drink

By Benon Tugumisirize

A friend of the deceased Butaleja Woman MP, Cerinah Nebanda, yesterday told court that the legislator’s former boyfriend, Adam Kalungi, had warned her against taking a drink that had been laced with drugs and kept behind the television set, but she was stubborn and went ahead to consume it.

Testifying before Makindye Chief Magistrates’ Court, Irene Namuganza, a resident of Entebbe and a student of Makerere University Business School, also described the former MP as a heavy drinker.

She said Nebanda could have been tempted because the mixture looked like wine.

“I had on several occasions visited Kalungi’s home in the company of Nebanda where we once spent a night together. All along, Kalungi had warned Nebanda against touching the drink behind his television set,” narrated Namuganza.

According to the charge sheet, prosecution alleges that Adam Suleiman Kalungi, Noor Abubakar, Khan Babu, Abdul Abid Rashid Butt, Ali Omar Almuzahim and Fatuma Babu on December 14, 2012 in Buziga, Makindye division, Kampala unlawfully caused the death of MP Nebanda.

Kalungi’s phone call

Namuganza told court that on the fateful day as she prepared to go to the gym, she received a phone call from Kalungi, saying Nebanda was unconscious and was being taken to Mukwaya General Clinic.

“Irene, Cerinah is very stubborn! I told her not to touch this bottle, but she went ahead and took it. Now, she is unconscious,” Namuganza recalls Kalungi telling her.

Namuganza told court that she had known Nebanda since 2004 when they were in the Senior Four vacation.


Nebanda’s confidant

She added that since 2011, they had on several occasions gone out for parties with Kalungi, who Nebanda later introduced as a boyfriend.

Namuganza revealed that Nebanda confided in her and could tell her whenever they were to meet with Kalungi.

She said Nebanda was used to drinks such as wine, Smirnoff Ice and Kingfisher, but never had any record of drug abuse.

She added that the relationship between Kalungi and Nebanda was not very stable as they had some misunderstandings, citing an incident in Entebbe where Nebanda reportedly picked up a quarrel with Kalungi at Club Night Riders in Entebbe after she suspected that he had been cheating on her with another girl.

Interpol speaks out

Haruna Ntambi, 56, of Kawanda told court that he was part of the Police that picked Kalungi at Malaba border post from the Kenya police.

Ntambi works as the Assistant Commissioner of Interpol at Kololo headquarters

He said since he was not an investigating officer in the case, the suspect was taken by Geofrey Musana for further interrogation.