By Guest Writer
For days, Fredrick Namara Karuhanga lay unconscious after a brutal assault that nearly claimed his life in March 2023.
Severely beaten, abandoned along the lakeshores of Mbeya Island in Mukono District, and stripped of his property, Namara survived only after marine soldiers intervened and rushed him for medical attention.
He later opened a criminal case, now under court file 1324/2024, seeking justice for attempted murder, aggravated robbery, and assault.
But in a twist that has shocked residents in Mukono and raised serious legal questions, Namara himself was arrested on February 10 this year in connection with a matter he insists had nothing to do with him.
At the center of this unfolding saga is senior Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) officer Major Mark Wanyama, a man who has appeared in the media platforms like Bukedde TV declaring himself to be a law-abiding citizen.
However, court records, police files, and testimonies from Mbeya Island tell a far more troubling story, one of alleged torture, contested arrests, land wrangles, and possible interference in criminal proceedings.
Available police records show that Namara was never among the accused persons linked to the destruction of property at Mbeya Island.
The suspects in that case, registered under File No. CRB 442/2023, were headed by Juma Mukwana and others. Namara never recorded a statement in that file, nor had he interacted with police regarding it. The file had reportedly been sanctioned twice before.
Yet on February 10, 2026, Namara was arrested and implicated in the same saga. His lawyers have described his arrest as irregular and in breach of the law, alleging that police were pressured to effect the arrest for appeasement purposes.
They further argue that claims suggesting Namara had been in hiding are intended to intimidate him into abandoning his pending case against Mr. Wanyama’s camp.
Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala has defended Namara’s release on bond, emphasizing that police bond is a constitutional right and does not signal the end of investigations.
She confirmed that the file has been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for guidance.
Namara has since petitioned the ODPP for a swift review of what he calls an illegality in his arrest.
From Victim to Accused
What makes the arrest particularly controversial is that Namara himself is recorded as a victim in a separate criminal file.
According to court documents corroborated by his lawyers and testimonies from Mbeya Island residents, Namara was attacked and beaten nearly to death by individuals allegedly associated with the Wanyama universe.
He was abandoned at the lakeshores after suffering severe injuries. Marine officers rescued him and rushed him for treatment. He remained in a coma for days before regaining consciousness.
In one televised interview, Major Wanyama addressed claimed personal proximity in the fracas under which Namara was assaulted.
Community members on Mbeya Island claim that Namara’s case is not isolated. They allege that several residents have suffered violence but chose silence out of fear.
If proven, such claims would paint a disturbing picture of coercion and intimidation in a civilian land dispute implicating a senior security officer.
The Seven-Acre Dispute
At the heart of the tensions is a protracted land dispute over seven acres comprising Kyaggwe Block 494, Plot 9, at Mbeya Island.
The land was reportedly purchased on November 6, 2019, by businessman Jackson Twinamasiko from Francis Tyaba, who resides in the United States and had granted power of attorney to Joyce Lutaaya. Documents show the land was bought for 70 million shillings.
Subsequently, Lutaaya allegedly sold the same land to Major Wanyama.
Twinamasiko petitioned both the UPDF and the President, alleging forceful occupation by Wanyama and armed soldiers.
Investigations by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) and the Special Investigations Bureau (SIB) reportedly found their own colleague soldiers culpable. The matter is currently before the UPDF Human Rights Department.
An interim court order restrained interference with the land pending final determination of the suit.
On October 21, 2022, the Office of the Inspector General of Police instructed enforcement. Despite resistance, the order was eventually implemented in January 2024.
The civil case is now before Justice Mary Kisakye Kaitesi and is expected back in court in March.
Contradictions in the Murder Narrative
Major Wanyama recently appeared on Bukedde TV and Nile Post, alleging that Namara orchestrated the demolition of his house under the direction of businessman Twinamasiko.
He claimed police had tracked Namara for three years before his recent arrest by the State House Land Protection Unit.
He also suggested that residents had been arrested and charged with serious offences, including murder allegations linked to claims of killing Namara, despite Namara being alive.
However, records in possession of the private lawyers involved indicate that the arrests at Mbeya Island were tied to the March 22, 2023 murder of 32-year-old fisherman Fred Ntambi at Kizaala Buganda village in Katosi Town Council.
The suspects included Jackson Sebitosi (28), Bernard Mateke (36), Abdul Ssempiira, the Mbeya LCI Vice Chairperson; Yasin Kasirye, the Mbeya LCI Secretary; Richard Ngoobi; Annet Amuron; Sanyu Digonda; and Abdul Mugisha.
They were later granted bail after key witness Florence Namujju declined to attend court sessions.
Allegations have surfaced that the controversial Major’s travel company promised to take her abroad for work and pay school fees for the deceased’s children, claims that raise serious ethical concerns if substantiated.
Threats in Court
In September 2023, while appearing before Mukono Chief Magistrate Roselyn Nsenge, the controversial reportedly threatened to take the criminal justice path if justice was not determined in his favor. The remarks were made after the magistrate cautioned him to testify carefully.
Even more troubling are records suggesting that under oath, the Major allegedly declared disregard for the rule of law and failed to effectively contradict claims of ordering an attack on Namara during the incident which lawyers say bordered on attempted murder and aggravated robbery.
A Pattern of Intimidation?
Residents of Mbeya Island describe a climate of fear. Some allege that armed personnel were deployed in what began as a civilian land dispute.
Others claim that mediation processes were frustrated and court orders were disregarded by soldiers.
The site where the Major’s demolished house once stood remains abandoned. Yet the legal and human consequences of the dispute are very much alive.
For Namara, the journey from victim to accused has been traumatic. Surviving a near-fatal assault, recovering from a coma, and then facing arrest in an unrelated file has deepened suspicions that the criminal justice process may have been weaponized.
With the ODPP reviewing the files, the UPDF Human Rights Department examining findings from CMI and SIB, and the main land suit returning to court in March, the unfolding case may set significant precedents regarding accountability within the security forces.
What began as a seven-acre land transaction worth 70 million shillings has spiraled into a web of torture allegations, contested arrests, murder investigations, stalled mediation, and claims of witness interference.
As the courts prepare to hear the matter again, one question looms large: Was Fredrick Namara Karuhanga arrested in pursuit of justice or as retaliation for surviving long enough to demand it? (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
