Multiple eyewitnesses who spoke to the media revealed that boda boda riders noticed Ssekabiito lying face-up on the pavement with fluids oozing from his nose and mouth.
Kampala, Uganda: A wave of shock and unanswered questions surrounds the sudden death of veteran CBS Radio correspondent Jimmy Ssekabiito, whose lifeless body was discovered Friday morning under circumstances that investigators and media colleagues are describing as deeply suspicious.
Ssekabiito, 42, had traveled overnight from Masaka to Kampala with plans to attend a friend’s wedding Mass at Rubaga Cathedral. But less than an hour after arriving in the city, he was found unresponsive on the roadside near the Uganda Red Cross offices, a place he had no known reason to visit.
According to a commuter taxi driver who transported him, Ssekabiito arrived at the New Taxi Park at about 5:40 am. He reportedly appeared well and even shared his itinerary: attend the 9 am ceremony and return to Masaka to cover additional events.
“I was shocked when I got a call 20 minutes later that he had died,” said the driver, commonly known as Goge.
Multiple eyewitnesses who spoke to the media revealed that boda boda riders noticed Ssekabiito lying face-up on the pavement with fluids oozing from his nose and mouth.
“One of the riders picked up his phone, another checked his pockets to see if he was breathing,” recounted Sam Kisiitu, who was at the scene. “It didn’t look like a simple collapse; there was something unsettling about it.”
The group reportedly placed him on a motorcycle and rushed him to Lubaga Hospital. But it was what happened next that has raised further suspicion.
A medic who received the journalist at Lubaga Hospital said he was brought in by two men, one of whom immediately disappeared.
“The man who was holding him vanished as soon as they reached the gate. We only managed to talk to the rider, who said he had been hired to deliver them here,” the medic said, requesting anonymity.
Investigators are now scrutinizing why the deceased was found in an area he did not indicate he was heading to, why one man fled the hospital, and whether Ssekabiito might have been targeted.
Journalists close to him say he was in good spirits hours before he died.
Jonan Jjumba, a Sembabule-based reporter and friend, said they last spoke at midnight. “He insisted on attending in person. It is very hard to believe that by morning he would be dead,” Jjumba said.
CBS Radio’s news editor, Alex Nsubuga, described Ssekabiito as a professional with no known health issues or conflicts that could explain his sudden demise.
“He was dedicated, balanced, and deeply loyal to his work and the Kingdom. As a station, we have lost an irreplaceable colleague,” Nsubuga said.
The Greater Masaka Journalists Association (GREMAJA) is demanding an exhaustive investigation. “We are alarmed by the suspicious nature of this death. If journalists can be found dead in public spaces without clear causes, it raises grave concerns for our safety,” said Farish Magembe, the Association President.
Police confirmed they are collaborating across districts to piece together Ssekabiito’s final movements.
Southern region police spokesperson ASP Twaha Kasirye said detectives in Masaka and Kampala are examining CCTV footage, interviewing boda boda operators, and waiting for a postmortem report. “A file of sudden death has been opened and investigations are underway,” ASP Kasirye said.
Ssekabiito’s death is the latest in a troubling pattern of journalists in Uganda facing intimidation, harassment, or worse. For his colleagues and family, the question remains: What really happened between the time he boarded that boda boda and the moment he was found unconscious?
As the investigation deepens, the country’s media fraternity will be watching closely, demanding not only answers but accountability.
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