Former patron of the Boda Boda 2010 Association Abdallah Kitatta has been sentenced to eight (8) years and 8 months in prison.
His bodyguard also a police detective, Sowali Ngobi was also sentenced to 8 years and 8 months.
The Makindye based General Court Martial on Monday, May 13th found Kitatta and his bodyguard guilty of being in possession of a firearm without a valid licence.
The 7-member Court chaired by Lt. Gen Andrew Gutti unanimously ruled that evidence from the 4 prosecution witnesses was satisfactory enough to prove the charges against the duo.
Among the guns that Kitatta unlawfully possessed were; the famous gold pistol, an SMG riffle and 35 rounds of ammunition.
It’s important to note that Kitatta was the chairperson of the ruling NRM party for Rubaga Division at the time of his arrest on January 20th last year.
According to evidence produced before court, Kitatta was only unfortunate to have been arrested in January 2018 at Vine Tea hotel because Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence never intended to arrest him in the first place.
Maj. David Agaba, the commander of operations in the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) yesterday told court that when his operatives went to arrest Huzairu Kiwalabye, the key suspect in the murder of Case clinic accountant Francis Ekalungar, they were obstructed by Boda boda 2010 members forcing them to arrest some of them.
During interrogation, it was later found out that Kitatta had instructed his group members to stop the army from arresting his brother.
Later, using a phone tracker, the army later located Kitatta at Vine Tea Hotel in Wakaliga where they stormed and arrested him.
Born in Kisanjufu Village in Mukono District, Kitatta’s lack of privilege did not prevent him from charting his own path.
He is reported to have used his position as an NRM leader in Rubaga to convince the police leadership at that time headed by Gen Kale Kayihura that there was need to disband Kampala Union Boda Boda Cyclists Association.
Gen Kayihura is also facing trial in the same military court on separate charges.
In Kitatta’s view, the Kampala association had embraced hooligans who burnt Nateete Police Station during the Opposition’s Walk-to-Work protests in 2011.
He created his own body Boda Boda 2010 Association to replace the Kampala one.
Kitatta’s association took a semblance of a militia outfit, which he headed as patron after a hastily arranged election.
Kitatta’s rise to prominence came at the time Opposition leader Kizza Besigye attempted to rally his supporters into mass street protests shortly after the 2011 general election, which he lost to President Museveni.
A mobiliser for Mr Museveni at the time, Kitatta created an alternative grassroots network to defuse the Opposition threat, which move endeared him to the State.
Kitatta reportedly had the backing of Gen Kayihura and openly clashed with the then Security minister, Lt Gen Henry Tumukunde.
He told Lt Gen Tumukunde that as Security minister, he did not have powers to decide leaders of the boda-boda fraternity.
Kitatta appealed to the President to train his ministers on the limit of their roles.
His brutality against political dissent gave his outfit leverage to operate on its own rules outside the established law without security agencies probing his activities.
