By BM
The chilling murder of David Mutaaga, 69, and his wife, Deborah Florence Mutaaga, 62, in Entebbe has not only shocked the nation it has thrown law enforcement into overdrive and sparked a fiery exchange between the Uganda Police and the media.
In a tense press briefing held at Police Headquarters in Naguru, ACP Kituuma Rusoke took a hard stance against New Vision over what he called “extreme” and “unfair” assertions made in a recent article.
The piece, published last Friday, suggested that the police were mishandling the investigation by playing a game of catch-and-release with suspects, a claim Rusoke vehemently refuted.
The police spokesperson clarified that arrests have indeed been made, but he stressed that these were based on leads, intelligence, and specific clues gathered through a rigorous inter-agency operation.
He explained that individuals taken in for questioning have been released only when there is no substantial evidence to pin them to the crime not due to incompetence or lack of direction.
Rusoke warned against framing the operation as a failure, stating that the real suspects are still being hunted and that police have not yet zeroed in on the individuals responsible for what is now considered one of the most heinous crimes of the year.
In a dramatic escalation of the manhunt, Rusoke announced that the reward for information leading to an arrest had been increased from 50 million to 60 million shillings, following instructions from the Director of CID.
He called on the public to share any credible leads, assuring full protection for informants and confidentiality for all whistleblowers.
The brutal murder occurred on the night of July 6th, when unknown assailants reportedly attacked the couple inside their home in Lugonjo-Nakiwogo Cell, Entebbe Municipality, Wakiso District.
The Mutaagas had recently returned to Uganda after an extended stay in Europe a detail that has deepened public intrigue and speculation over whether they may have been targeted.
The bodies were discovered under grim circumstances: it was their shamba boy, Ronald Golooba, who first alerted police to what he believed was an aggravated robbery.
But the investigation quickly turned from theft to cold-blooded murder, launching a national outcry and an urgent call for justice.
The case has since dominated headlines, haunted public discourse, and rattled even the most seasoned investigators.
With the stakes now raised and 60 million shillings on the line, police are betting on the power of public cooperation to break the silence surrounding the Mutaaga murders.
As Rusoke emphasized, the search is far from over and for those hiding in the shadows, time may be running out.
