By Jinja Times Reporters
On January 2, 2018, the Case Clinic Accountant, Francis Ekalungar (49) went missing when he left his office and was going to the bank. A few days later, his body burnt beyond recognition was found in the city suburb of Kajansi but his car could not be traced. On January 19, Military Intelligence (CMI) launched a hunt for members of the regime’s powerful agency of brutality, the Bodaboda 2010. During the raid, about 30 suspects were arrested, mostly members of the Bodaboda 2910 and 3 Congolese nationals.
The same raid recovered the slain Accountant’s car from a house that was housing the three Congolese. The raid on Bodaboda 2010 offices recovered arms, army uniforms, used motor-vehicle number plates and machetes. The powerful patron of the Bodaboda 2010, Abudalah Kitata, and his brother Hazairu Kiwalabye were among those arrested. The army issued a statement to the effect that the raid and arrests were in connection to the murder of the said Case Clinic Accountant. The victim’s family called for a speedy trial and death sentence for the arrested suspects.
In what the army described as a screening exercise, out of the 30 arrested suspects, 15 were released. Around early February 2018, Abudalah Kitata and 11 others appeared before the General Court Martial for plea taking on charges related to illegal possession of military head gears and uniforms. Among the 11 accused, Ngobi Sewali (Kitata’s police bodyguard) and a one Ssekajja also faced a separate charge of illegal possession of firearms together with Kitata.
Around May 2018, the Magistrate’s Court at Kajansi committed four people, including Hazairu Kiwalabye (Kitata’s brother) to the High Court for trial over the murder of the said Case Clinic Accountant. Procedurally, committal to High Court implies that investigations are complete and the case is ready for hearing/trial but since then the case has never taken off.
During the trial of Kitata and 11 others before the Court Martial, Prosecution Witness No. 1, CMI’s Richard Kasaija told the court that the killers of the Case Clinic Accountant were in constant telephone communication with Abudalah Kitata and that it’s the tracking of the same that led to his arrest. Another CMI officer who was Prosecution Witness No. 3, Maj. David Agaba told the court that he had interrogated the accused upon arrest who confessed to having been instructed by Abudalah Kitata to kill the said Case Clinic Accountant.
Despite these testimonies, for obvious reasons, Abudalah Kitata was not charged with Murder. In May 2019, Abudalah Kitata and his police bodyguard, Sowali Ngobi were convicted of illegal possession of firearms and sentenced to 8 years imprisonment. He, together, with the rest of his co-accused, was acquitted of the other charge of illegal possession of military uniforms.
Now the Court Martial Court of Appeal has set free Abudalah Kitata and his bodyguard, Somali Ngobi. The appellate court argued that “……..there was no evidence that the guns they possessed endangered the lives of people.”
Who killed the Case Clinic Accountant?????
Why has the murder trial never taken off????
What happened to the three Congolese nationals who were found in possession of the slain Accountant’s car???
Why was Kitata not charged with Murder???
Why did the assailants have to burn the victim’s body???
The answers to the above questions are the reason Kitata is now a free person.
Story credits to Martha Leah Nangalama
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