Police have arrested renowned Uganda Cranes fan Jackson Ssewanyana, aka Uncle Money, for allegedly masterminding the lynching of a man over theft.
He is accused of clobbering to death Hakim Tumusiime, a mechanic at Munaku-Lubya, Rubaga Division, in Kampala on August 16, 2019.
Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, confirmed Ssewanyana’s arrest, saying he is being questioned to establish his role in Tumusiime’s death.
According to Mr Onyango, the deceased’s wife, Mariam Nazalwe and mother Beatrice Kabatooro pointed to Uncle Money for participating in the killing of Tumusiime.
Onyango explains that the deceased’s wife, Mariam Nazalwe and mother, Beatrice Kabatooro claim that Ssewanyana grabbed Tumusiime by the neck and threw him down accusing him of stealing his valuables.
He was thus arrested and locked up as police hunt for his accomplices. Ssewanyana, also a resident of Munaku-Lubya, is being held on several charges among others murder.
Ssewanyana is locked up at Old Kampala Police Station as police hunt for his accomplices in the murder.
Mr Onyango has warned people against mob action, saying many innocent people have lost their lives at the hands of people carrying the law in their hands. The 2018 criminal investigations records-CID show there was an increase in cases of people killed through mob action. At least 656 were killed last year through mob justice compared to 619 victims recorded in 2017.
A countrywide report by Criminal Investigations Directorate compiled from January 1 to February 20 this year shows a total of 41 cases of mob action were reported to police, with 42 victims lynched and four people survived with grave injuries.
Bishop Alfred Acur of West Lango Diocese said the current generation of young people has become a social problem because of failure by parents to train their children when they are still young.
