On the night of August 28, Maria Nagirinya, a social worker was kidnapped near her gate in Lungujja, Lubaga division as she returned from work.
It was later revealed that at around 11:40 pm, Nagirinya who was being driven by Ronald Kitayimbwa in a Spacio car, UBA 570V had been intercepted at the gate and kidnapped before the unknown assailants dropped the car, a few metres from Nateete Police station.
Three days later, the duo’s lifeless bodies were found dumped in Nakitutuli swamp in Mukono.
Following the kidnap and subsequent murder which look like a slap in the face of security, a joint team of operatives from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and Police put their boots to the ground to look for suspects.
At first, they made use of CCTV cameras that had captured Nagirinya’s vehicle being driven by an unidentified person but at least they had got a clue and it was not long when three suspects including a man who had been captured driving the vehicle were arrested.
“Based on intelligence, a raid was carried out in Nateete and arrested three prime suspects in a hideout including the man whom we saw in a red jacket driving Nagirinya’s vehicle,” Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga said in a statement.
“We have exhibited the clothing we recovered from them as we interrogate them further for more details.”
This was a major breakthrough that saw a couple of other suspects arrested by a joint team of security operatives from CMI and Police.
The Police spokesperson revealed that their investigations had indicated that money totalling to shs500,000 from Nagirinya’s phone had been withdrawn.
Meanwhile, detectives tracked the mobile money agent through which the money was withdrawn and this led them to one Nakkubulwa.
She later led security operatives to the arrest of the suspects.
The three prime suspects later led investigators back to the crime scene for reconstruction.
The trio first led police officers to a stage near ABC Nursery and Primary School in Nateete along the Kampala –Masaka road from where they picked boda bodas that they used for their mission.
After picking the boda bodas, the group followed Masaka road up and branched off to the road that leads to Lungujja until they reached the gate leading to Nagirinya’s home.
From Lungujja, the three suspects took the detectives through the long journey to Mukono where they dumped the two dead bodies.
The trio drove and followed Wakaliga road up to Mengo, from where they branched off via Ssentema road, through Lugala –Masanafu and later joined the Kampala Northern bypass that they followed up to Kireka before joining the Kampala- Jinja highway.
On reaching Mukono town, the trio who were now driving Nagirinya’s vehicle branched off to ply the Mukono Kayunga road.
The Killing
After kidnapping the duo, one of the suspects drove Nagirinya’s vehicle, a Toyota Spacio, UBA 570V as the other colleagues tortured their victims.
It is said that the group first killed Kitayimbwa whom they hit with a car jerk on the head before he blacked out.
It is also alleged that they later tortured Nagirinya, forcing her to give up her mobile money account password to them.
The two dead bodies were then dropped at Nakitutuli swamp, Takajjunge zone, Nama Sub County in Mukono district.
Museveni cracks the weep
Following the incident, President Museveni said Police officers manning the CCTV command centre at Nateete had been negligent.
“When she was kidnapped, the relatives, immediately, informed the Police of Kibumbiro Police post at Nateete, by about 00:43 hours. The officer there should have informed all the Police units and patrol cars and the camera centres about the type of car that had been hi-jacked. The cameras then would track that vehicle and those criminals would have been arrested or killed before they abandoned the car at Nateete, after dumping the bodies of the victims in Mukono,” the furious Museveni said.
“What is this- criminal negligence or collusion? Whatever it was, we are slowly moving forward. On account of the cameras and other technical means, we are now able to know who did not do his work. The Policemen in the camera centres were asleep, only waking up to “retrieve” pictures from the memory of the cameras.”
He ordered for their arrest and arraignment in the police disciplinary court.
Consequently, eight people were arraigned in court over the kidnap and murder of the duo of Maria Nagirinya and Ronald Kitayimbwa.
Despite the early incident that was blamed on security over laxity and negligence, they later redeemed themselves by arresting the suspects and arraigned in court over the kidnap and murder.
