Police hunt for Expressway killers

Three Police officers have been arrested over the murder of a woman at Nambigirwa Bridge in Kajjansi town council along the newly constructed Entebbe-Kampala Expressway.

Marinah Tumukunde, who was being chauffeured in a black Toyota Landcruiser number UAW 534B, was shot dead together with her friend, Joshua Rushegyera Nteireho, as they headed towards Entebbe.

The suspects are attached to the Counter-Terrorism (CT) directorate.  They are Davis Taremwa, Hassan Mugote and Wilson Atwijukire.

Sources revealed that Taremwa on Thursday evening signed for a sub-machine gun, number UGPOL 563100699022697, which was recovered from the scene of the crime.

"Taremwa and Mugote were deployed to guard at Hidden Treasure Hotel in Entebbe, but Taremwa abandoned his duty station and went for an illegal deployment where he joined the team that was escorting Tumukunde. Mugote was arrested to explain when his fellow guard left the hotel duty station why he did not report to his bosses. Atwijukire was arrested because he had gone to visit Taremwa at his home," explained the source.

THE SHOOTING
Preliminary details show that Tumukunde and Nteireho were shot by another person in the same car they were travelling in. The killer is believed to have been part of the people in the car.

According to exclusive information obtained by Saturday Vision, Tumukunde, who was in the back seat of the car, was shot through the right lower neck and the bullet ripped through her left cheek, killing her instantly.

On the other hand, Nteireho was shot from outside the car, behind it, in what apparently appears like he was attempting to confront the killer.

Nteireho was shot on the left upper head and the bullet ripped through the right side of his head, which shattered his brain,  killing him instantly. However, it was not clear who was driving the vehicle.

According to documents recovered from the crime scene located about 150 metres from Nambigirwa Bridge in Kajjansi town council, Wakiso district, Nteireho is a resident of Mpala-Kitara in Katabi town council, also in Wakiso.

According to Entebbe residents, who preferred anonymity, Nteireho, 38, has always been seen in the town driving a Mercedes Benz. He would also occasionally be seen driving to State House, Entebbe.

According to sources, a sub-machine gun belonging to the Uganda Police Force, number UGPOL 563100699022697 with 27 bullets, was recovered from the scene.

Nteireho's left hand was reportedly found tightly gripped to the barrel of the gun that was recovered.

"Another magazine with 30 bullets in the porch, at the co-driver's seat, together with a black Police headdress of the CT Police directorate and two cartridges were found inside the car, while another cartridge was found outside, near Nteireho's body," the source revealed. Two mobile phones and a chit bearing names of a detective sergeant only identified as Mutesi with force number 32693, were also recovered from the vehicle.

By press time, the vehicle had been towed to Entebbe Central Police Station. The motive of the murder still remains unknown.

 Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said the male victim requested a policeman (Taremwa) who was guarding at Hidden Treasure Hotel in Entebbe to escort him to Millennium Hotel in Zzana on Entebbe Road where he had a business transaction.

  "The officer withdrew from his beat and the three drove together to the hotel. The circumstances surrounding their movement from Millenium Hotel up to the stage where the shooting occurred is still unclear," he said. However, Enanga said only Taremwa had been arrested.

Witnesses speak out
According to witnesses who talked to Saturday Vision, several senior police officers, including the CT commandant, Abbas Byakagaba Kampala Metropolitan Police commander Moses Kafeero, Entebbe Police commander, Baker Kawonawo, and scenes of crime officers visited the scene from where two bodies were removed.

Saturday Vision also established that there are Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras located about 100 metres from the scene.

Charles Mazinga, the Ziru village chairperson in Kajjansi town council, district, said he got information about the murder at around 2:00am, but he feared to visit the scene because he did not have security. He described the incident as unfortunate.

Entebbe Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Nooh Njuki, regretted the incident. He said the Police and Local Defence Unit personnel have always patrolled the Entebbe-Kampala Expressway to avert criminality.

OUTSTANDING ISSUES
According to sources, security agencies will set out to analyse the two phones recovered from the vehicle in a bid to establish those who last called on them and to establish the identities of all the persons who were in the car.

Security agencies will also retrieve CCTV footage from Kampala up to the Kampala-Entebbe Expressway, where the shooting took place with a view to establishing the identities of other vehicle occupants.

The Police are to also establish who was deployed to guard Tumukunde from the CT directorate; the motive of the murder and whether there was anything robbed from the lady's bag.

According to Police sources, the exhibits collected from the scene, including a gun, blood samples and a Police cap would be taken to the Government Analytical Laboratory in Wandegeya, Kampala for analysis.

TUMUKUNDE'S DESTINATION
It is said that Tumukunde was on her way out of the country, but it was not yet clear where exactly she was heading to.

When contacted, the Civil Aviation Authority public affairs manager, Vianney Luggya, said he could not readily tell where Tumukunde was going, adding that it requires one to at least know the airline she had booked to travel with.

"It is the responsibility of the airline that the person booked to know where their client is going. Besides, airlines have a confidentiality clause, they cannot give out information about their clients, unless it is a security matter," Luggya explained.

Who are the deceased
Little is known about Tumukunde, but at a press briefing, Enanga said they had asked the Rwandan Embassy to confirm if Tumukunde is indeed their citizen.

Saturday Vision has learnt that Nteireho was working with aviation security at Entebbe airport.