BIG STORY: How close friend orchestrated murder of Bundibugyo NRM Boss

BUNDIBUGYO, UGANDA: The Flying Squad Unit working alongside the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence-CMI have arrested one Swaibu Bwambale, over the murder of his close friend Robert Kifunga Baguma.

Baguma, who was a renowned lawyer in Bundibugyo and NRM district registrar, was found murdered on March 25, and his body dumped about three kilometres from Bundibugyo town.

He was buried two days later and Bwambale, a longtime friend was the chairman of the funeral arrangement committee and spoke emotionally about the good and hard times he had had with the deceased.

But because Baguma’s murder was mistaken for the gruesome torture of a plumber in Ggaba who was captured on camera tied and being burnt with molten jerrycans, the Crime Intelligence director Brig Chris Damulira and his CMI counterpart Maj Gen James Birungi, assigned a joint team to probe the incident and arrest the culprits.

It was later discovered that the body in Bundibugyo and the Ggaba incident were totally separate even though they emerged on social media on the same day. Security noticed that the man burnt with jerrycans in a guest house in Ggaba was Njuba Brian, a plumber who was lured by unknown people for a job that turned tragic.

Brig Damulira and Maj Gen Birungi demanded for answers for who burnt Njuba in a guest house and who killed Baguma. The last phone printouts for the two victims were secured and the tracing of last callers started.

Among the last people that called Baguma was Bwambale and telecom signals indicated that the two had actually met and spent some time together in Fort Portal hours before his body was discovered in Bundibugyo.

CMI and FSU started looking for any building that has a CCTV camera and by good luck, one of the buildings showed Bwambale and Baguma together and as they later moved in a vehicle UBL 885F, then drove up to Centenary Bank.

The CCTVs inside and outside the bank captured the two together and later on, Baguma withdrew money in millions. The two then entered the vehicle and eventually drove towards Bundibugyo district. Armed with the CCTV evidence, CMI and FSU teams tracked Bwambale up to his home in Bugendabara town council, Kasese district.

Bwambale was subjected to intensive interrogation but he kept denying. He was showed the video clips captured at the burial where he emotionally spoke about his deceased longtime friend.

But when Bwambale vehemently denied orchestrating his friend’s murder, CMI and FSU then showed him CCTV footage where he was with the deceased hours before his dreadful end. It is reported that Bwambale burst into tears as he watched the CCTV clips clearly showing him with Baguma in various spots in Fort Portal town.

Police spokesperson Fred Enanga confirmed Bwambale’s arrest.

Enanga said once CCTVs were played to him, he confessed that he alerted his accomplices that Baguma had withdrawn Shillings 42 million.

“He has told us that they lured Baguma into gold transaction,” Enanga explained. “It was at the point he was held, strangled and his body dumped three kilometres away. Our team zeroed in on Bwambale after conducting a thorough analysis of the deceased’s last events.”

FSU and CMI are now searching for Bwambale’s accomplices. Bwambale is now being held on three charges that include murder, aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit a felony.

In his statement, Bwambale has reportedly told homicide team that he took charge of Baguma’s burial so that he would not be suspected. It is reported that Baguma and Bwambale had been close friends for years and the duo would attend family parties together including outing together most of the times.