By Aggrey Baba
Fresh investigations have revealed that the same gun used to shoot Gen. Edward Katumba Wamala in June 2021 had earlier been used in the assassination of AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi in 2017.
This discovery has raised serious concerns within security circles about a coordinated network behind a string of high-profile killings in Uganda.
The firearm, recovered during investigations into the Katumba shooting, was subjected to ballistic tests, which confirmed that it matched one of the guns used to kill Kaweesi.
This marks a significant development in both cases, showing that the weapon had been preserved and passed on to different assassins over a span of years.
According to a report in Weekend Vision, Gen Katumba was attacked on the morning of June 1, 2021, while driving in a military Toyota Land Cruiser along Kisota Road in Kampala. He was with his daughter, Brenda Nantongo, and his driver, Haruna Kayondo who were both killed instantly, while the General survived with bullet wounds and was later flown out of the country for treatment.
Following the attack, police launched a wide-ranging investigation which led to multiple arrests and the recovery of several weapons. Among those arrested was Hussein Lubwama, also known as Master, who was suspected to have been among the boda-boda assailants that attacked the Works Minister.
As per the Vision report, security sources later confirmed that one of the guns recovered from the suspects was also used in Kaweesi’s killing.
Kaweesi was murdered in broad daylight on March 17, 2017, near his home in Kulambiro. He was traveling with his bodyguard Kenneth Erau and driver Godfrey Wambewo when their vehicle was ambushed and sprayed with bullets killing all the three on the spot.
The killings shocked the nation and led to the arrest of over 20 suspects, many of whom were charged but later released or granted bail after the case stalled in court.
The latest findings have added weight to the long-held suspicion that a well-organised criminal gang has been behind several similar attacks. Investigators now believe that the same group could have supplied weapons, recruited shooters, and planned multiple missions across Kampala and neighbouring districts.
Following the Katumba shooting, former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Paul Lokech, who was leading investigations at the time, linked the suspects to a wider network, identifying some of them as being connected to operations in Nansana, Namuwongo, and Kawempe.
He also pointed out that some of the suspects had previously been involved in deadly robberies, including the attack on Cheap General Hardware in Nansana and the raid on a bakery in Kiwatule.
Among those arrested were Siraje Kibirige, Fazil Kalyango, Hussein Sserubula (Imam Sserubula), and Abubaker Lubega, among others. Security records indicate that these individuals operated as a mobile gang, carrying out planned hits and then disappearing without leaving behind evidence.
The group is believed to have operated under the command of a wanted cleric, Sheikh Abdu Kadir Muwanga, who is suspected to have helped coordinate their missions.
Investigations also show that the group used some of the stolen money from robberies to finance their operations, including the purchase of new motorcycles and weapons. In one case, suspects were linked to the robbery of UGX 6.7 million from a businessman, which they reportedly used to fund their next attack.
The gun in question is now being treated as a key piece of evidence, not just in the Kaweesi and Katumba cases, but in other unsolved killings as well. Detectives are reportedly reviewing past files to find out if the same weapon was used in other murders, including the assassination of former Buyende District Police Commander Muhammad Kirumira in 2018.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is reportedly re-examining charges against previously arrested suspects following this new development. Earlier this year, the lead prosecutor in the Kaweesi case, Juliet Harty Hatanga, withdrew from the matter, citing lack of progress and weak evidence.
However, this new link between the Katumba and Kaweesi shootings may revive interest in prosecuting the masterminds behind these attacks.
Security officials say the recovery of this gun is a major step toward dismantling the wider network and bringing the killers to book.
Families of the victims are also hopeful that the truth is finally coming to light, years after their loved ones were gunned down.
