By Website Writer; Police on Monday said they were hunting for more suspects involved in the Thursday, July 14, 2022, chaos at Makerere University Guild campaigns in which a Uganda Christian University student lost his life.
Police Spokesperson Fred Enanga said efforts had been put in place to trace all the other external perpetrators of violence, who are still at large and had been clearly captured in the CCTV cameras causing havoc and violence.
“We are also interesting ourselves in the student brigades of North Coat Revolutionary Army (NRA), RAT Guard Brigade (RGB) and Oxegeble Guard Brigade (OGB), who are hired during political and social activities at the University.”
This follows the arrest of 3 suspects who include; Frank Kabuye, the Member of Parliament representing Kassanda South County, Allan Ssekiddde and Kabuurwa Muzafaru, who Enanga said are being charged to court, with incitement to violence, as Police consolidate the facts surrounding the brutal murder of the Batungura Bewotti, a 27-year-old, Law student of Uganda Christian University (UCU),” he stated.
Enanga said the victim had come to rally support for his former high school friend, Justus Tukamushaba, the Guild Presidential Candidate on Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) ticket and was part of the North Coat Revolutionary Army, that was guarding the FDC candidate.
“While the National Unity Platform (NUP) candidate, was being guarded by the RAT Guard Brigade. It is this group that allegedly sparked violence as they were leaving the venue for the incoming FDC group. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) candidate was being guarded by the Oxegeble Guard Brigade. The CCTV footage, other video footage and accounts from witnesses have enabled us to generate lists of perpetrators of the violence,” Enanga said.
He noted that the case was being investigated by the Joint Task Team of Criminal Investigation Directorate, Crime Intelligence, Kampala Metropolitan Police, Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, and Internal Security Organization.
“The death of such a young University student embarking on adult life is so devastating and painful for the family, friends, the universities and the public. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Enanga stated.
Enanga revealed that the facts gathered indicate that the victim was fatally wounded by a blow from a broken glass bottle, which caused the sharp force injury, on the right side of the neck, after he was attacked near Nsibirwa Hall junction.
“The victim rushed to the washrooms at Nsibirwa Hall, where his colleagues picked and transported him to the University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death was hemorrhagic shock following sharp force trauma,” Enanga added.
He said the incident remains under investigation by the Joint Specialist teams, part of which is to examine the possible linkages to the aggressive behavior of both external groups ferried into the campaigns and the student brigades created from within the University.
“As we remember Betungura, we call upon all stakeholders to come together with a common goal of stopping such kinds of tragedies, which simply expose the ideologies we hold. There is no justification whatsoever, for such acts of violence in Universities. We should instead have empathy, care and compassion for one another,” Enanga explained.
Police pledged to continue working with the University in stopping the toxic culture of violence at different campuses, through physical violence education and prevention programs.
Makerere University Council in its emergency meeting on Friday, July 15, 2022, terminated the electoral process of the 88 students’ guild leadership and also banned all brigades and any unauthorized groups or organizations at the university with immediate effect.
The Council also resolved that Makerere University Students Guild and Senior Common Room, including the caretaker Government and all Guild Leadership structures are suspended henceforth.
The decision by the University follows Thursday evening chaos at the Makerere University Rugby Club that led to the loss of Michael Betungura Buwatte, a Uganda Christian University Second Year Law student who died after a scuffle between the National Unity Platform (NUP) and Forum for Democratic Change political factions.
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