December 7 - January 7, 2015

Imam Killed by Mob

State-Owned Media

New Vision, January 7, 2015 – Mob lynches local Muslim cleric

• Ismail Mawazi Ssebugwawo, 52, was murdered in Kayunga near Wakiso town in Wakiso district
  
• Sources at the Uganda Supreme Council say victim worked as an Imam at a local mosque in Kawempe
  
• The deceased decided to use a boda boda [motorcycle] to go to the hospital after complaining of a headache
  
• Authorities have arrested two suspects who are in our custody
  
• According to witness reports, the victim had tried to board a taxi and was grabbed by a boda boda cyclist who raised an alarm claiming he [Ssebugwawo] was attempting to steal the motorcycle and a mob charged and stoned him to death
  
• Police arrived at the scene after and found Ssebugwawo cold and lifeless
  
• Ssebugwawo is survived by a wife Sarah Namala and six children.

Muslim Clerics Killed

State-Owned Media

New Vision, January 7, 2015 – State not behind Muslim clerics' murders

• Operations commander in Uganda police, Felix Kaweesi, speaks against allegations that the State is behind double murder in late 2014 of Muslin clerics
  
  • Kaweesi insists it would be unlike the current government. He responds to inquiry about the proceedings of investigations that are said to be sluggish
    
• Sheikh Abdul Muwaya and Sheikh Mustafa Bahiga were murdered late in 2014, shot in quick succession by unknown assailants riding on motorcycles.
  
• Kaweesi insists that the investigations are under the radar to avoid losing the potential culprits. Kaweesi: "These are not State inspired murders. The State that has a constitutional mandate to protect Ugandans cannot turn around and harm them.” promises to use Monday's police press briefings to update the country on the latest development in its investigations
  
• Kaweesi has in past stormed into an Africana Hotel for an event of the Uganda Muslim Youth Assembly (UMYA) chairman, Prof. Abasi Kiyimba. Kiyimba had there reprimanded police chief, Gen. Kale Kayihura being too quick to blame the Allied Democratic Forces for the murder in 2012 of Sheikh Abdul Karim Sentamu. Kiyimba had cautioned that immediately assuming ADF guilt would prematurely close investigations into possible clues that could lead to the arrest of the real culprits
  

Privately Owned Media

Daily Monitor, January 7, 2015 – Mayuge sheikh killers still at large - Kayihura

• Inspector General of Police (IGP), Gen Kale Kayihura confirms that the killers of a Muslim leader, Sheikh Abdul Kadhir Muwaya, in Mayuge District are still at large. Sheikh Muwaya was shot dead at his home in Kavule village, Imanhyiro Sub-county on Christmas Day. Gen Kayihura vowed to pitch camp in the district until the killers were apprehended
  
• Gen Kayihura returned Mayuge Sunday for a closed-door meeting with local security authorities and leaders. “We have not yet got the killers. We have so far arrested 17 people but there are no prime suspects,” Gen Kayihura
  
• IGP launched the building of a security system in Busoga and neighbouring districts of Busia and Tororo. “The rampant murders caused by gun shots have been as a result of weakness in intelligence system. So I have launched this programme from here to boost crime prevention up to the village level,” - Gen Kayihura.
  
• The district police commander, Ms Caroline Akoth has been ordered to recruit 13,000 crime preventers in Mayuge

LRA Chief Surrenders

Privately Owned Media

Daily Monitor, January 7, 104 – LRA chief Ongwen surrenders

• The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) second in command ‘Maj Gen’ Dominic Ongwen surrendered himself up to the Seleka rebels at the Central African Republic at the South Sudan border. At the time of his surrender, the Seleka rebels could not immediately identify who ‘Gen’ Ongwen
  
• Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) informants identified him. American forces airlifted the surrendered man to their tactical base at Obo
  
• Gen’ Ongwen is one of the five LRA top commanders who were in 2005 indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The US government put a $5m (Shs13 billion) bounty on Ongwen’s head
  
• He was held by American forces at Obo, the major town of Haut-Mbomou prefecture in the CAR 89766
  
• Mr Ongwen is wanted for charges including murder, enslavement, cruel treatment of civilians, and intentionally directing an attack against a civilian. He had earlier been reported killed in battle with the UPDF in October 2005. A year later, genetic finger printing by the ICC proved that the person who was thought to be Mr Ongwen was not him

Authorities Respond to “cult members”

Privately Owned Media

The Daily Monitor, January 7, 2015 – 15 cult members held for sabotaging government programmes

• 15 members of a new religious cult Engiri (gospel) have been arrested and detained at Mbarara Central Police.
  
• Engiri followers believe counting and registration of people is satanic’. They have spread in various parts of Mbarara, especially in the municipality and Kashari County spreading this belief
  
• Mbarara District Police Commander Dickens Bindeeba claims that the believers discouraged people from participating in housing and population census, registration for national identity cards and registration of pupils for Primary Leaving Examination, students for Uganda Certificate of Education and Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education
  
• “They do not believe in being counted because you are given a number. So we are coming in to ensure that as long as it’s a government program, it’s for all and they must embrace government programmes,” Mr Bindeeba. Bindeeba insists that the suspects will appear in court to answer charges of involving themselves in activities that defy government orders
  
• The cult members in questions are from Bucuro Sub-county in Kashari
  
• A few months prior, police had arrested six members from Kagongi Sub-county in Kashari. They were charged and held for two months