UCU Student Murder: Police arrest 4 suspects attached to Makerere militia brigade

KAMPALA, UGANDA: The joint military operation of police and sister security agencies has arrested four people suspected to be members of the banned Makerere University ‘brigades’ as part of the ongoing investigations into the murder of a Uganda Christian University (UCU) student during last week’s chaotic guild campaigns.

The Police postmortem report indicated that Bewatte Betungura, a law student at UCU died of excessive bleeding after he had been stabbed with a sharp broken bottle on the neck. He had joined Makerere students under the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) to campaign for the party’s guild candidate Justus Tukamushaba.

With hours left to guild election day, chaos ensued between FDC’s ‘NRA’ and NUP’s ‘RGB’ which was guarding the party’s guild candidate, Alionz Lawrence alias Dangote.

As a result, commanders of spy and violent crime security agencies among others ISO, CMI and CI set up a joint team to hunt for whoever was captured on Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and phone video recordings participating in clashes that led to Betungura’s demise.

It has emerged that four people of whom three are attached to RGB have been picked up in operations led by CMI and CI. The suspects were picked from outside the university in areas of Makerere Kikoni and Bwaise.

“Three of these are clearly seen in the videos holding sticks leading other students’” a security source said. “Cameras captured their movements after the incident and we have successfully traced them from their hideouts. We are now looking for 11 others.”

ASP, Luke Owoyesigyire, who is the deputy Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson, did not confirm nor deny the arrests. He, however, said no information can be released now since it could jeopardize investigations and the ongoing hunt for all people who might have caused Betungura’s death.

Police Spokesperson, Fred Enanga, had earlier said CMI, ISO, CI and CID will leave no stone unturned in search for Betungura’s killers. Enanga explained that brigades such as NRA, RGB and Osagyefo Guard Brigade (OGB), are hired during political and social activities at the University.

Security says Betungura was part of NRA attached to FDC which clashed with RGB that was guarding the NUP candidate while OGB that was guarding the NRM candidate was not part and parcel of the chaotic scenes.

“We call upon all stakeholders to come together with a common goal of stopping such kinds of tragedies, there is no justification whatsoever, for such acts of violence in Universities,” Enanga said.

Unlike the first suspects who were detained at Kampala Central Police Station, Wandegeya Police Station and Old Kampala Police Station, the alleged members of what security describes as violent brigades are reported being held at SIU in Kireka, Wakiso district.