How city businessman's murder was hatched

The thugs came to Archie Rwego's home as early as 10:00pm. They emptied sacks of garbage at the corner of his perimeter wall and wore the sacks to disguise themselves as they lay in wait for four hours before breaking into Rwego's home.

As the thugs waited, Rwego was watching a European Champion's League match between Manchester United and Juventus at a hotel adjacent to his home. After the match, he went home, unaware that thugs were planning to attack him. This chilling narrative emerged yesterday as detectives interrogated the prime suspect, John Kisuule, in the murder.

Rwego, 44, a father of one, was stabbed 10 times and killed in his house by armed robbers as his wife helplessly watched the horrifying incident, New Vision has learnt. Rwego, a resident of Najjera, a city suburb, was attacked by three men wielding machetes while he, his wife and other close family members were asleep.

Rwego has been the sales manager at Boma Tiles in Industrial Area, Kampala, where he has been employed for the past 10 years. His only son is a Senior Four candidate currently sitting the Uganda Certificate of Education final examinations. The assailants sneaked into the bedroom unnoticed.

A fight broke out and the assailants dragged Rwego from the bedroom to the sitting room as his wife, Dora Asio Rwego, screamed helplessly in fear and shock. In the ensuing scuffle, the assailants stabbed Rwego several times. According to the Police, the assailants stabbed Rwego seven times in the head, twice in the left shoulder and once in the chest using a sharp object and he collapsed.

He died on arrival at Najjera Hospital. The motive of his killing is not yet known. Rwego's home is 1.5km from Kira Division Police and opposite a three-star hotel. He was an in-law of the director of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), Grace Akullo.

The attack was described by security experts as a ‘professional hit". The assailants, according to preliminary investigations, took advantage of the rain that pounded the area on Wednesday morning (around 3:00am) to break into the house undetected.

The assailants cut the electric razor wire, scaled the perimeter wall and descended via a water sink on the compound wall-fence. Once inside the compound, the assailants went after the barking dog and stabbed it to death, before they accessed the house through the back door.

After the murder, the assailants took off with a television set and two handbags that contained an unspecified amount of money. "Given the way the assailants scaled the perimeter wall and stabbed the dog, it is likely these were hitmen and not new people in the game," a security source said.

The Police sources said last evening that one suspect had been arrested in connection with the murder. The Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, said the Police were investigating a case of aggravated robbery. Rwego's father in-law declined to comment.

 "I need to speak to my daughter first, agree on the way forward, especially on giving media interviews," he said. New Vision was unable to speak to the wife as she still in shock. At Rwego's workplace on Second Street, Industrial Area, the mood was sombre.

Patrick Waigolo, the office manager, broke down in tears as he narrated the last words from his workmate on Tuesday. "Archie (Rwego) said goodbye and he promised to come early on Wednesday morning," Waigolo said as he pointed at the deceased's work station. He said Rwego would always be remembered for his good advice and emphasis on best ethical practices.

"His life was about his wife, child and work. He would share the love he had for them every day," Waigolo said, adding: "He was a humble and jolly person." Waigolo said Rwego interacted freely with all tenants on the building that housed their offices.
"You would hardly tell that he was the manager at his workplace," he added. 

Police investigations
According to a statement made to Police under file Kira Division CRB/736/2018, Dora Asio Rwego, 41, an accountant at the National Farmers Federation, reported that three unknown robbers attacked them in the house at 3:15am on Wednesday morning, robbed her of two bags with yet un-established items, money and a television set.

During the robbery, her husband, Archie Rwego, 44, was murdered. According to the CID spokesperson, Vincent Ssekatte, detectives had visited the scene of crime with sniffer dogs and had taken statements from witnesses. "To access the house, the assailants opened the door using a key that was left in the lock," Sekatte explained.

"They were armed with knives and iron bars." Ssekatte said Rwego had a private guard who had just taken leave and is said to have travelled to Nebbi, in West Nile on Monday.

According to the 2017 Police crime report, homicide cases slightly increased to 4,473 from 4,315 cases in 2016. Murders were fuelled by land wrangles, dissatisfaction with delayed justice, family misunderstandings and business rivalry.

The Government is in the process of installing security cameras (CCTV) on streets and roads in Kampala and Wakiso districts to deal with crime, particularly high-profile killings.