Museveni tells police to interview Kadaga

KAMPALA

President Museveni yesterday said Speaker Rebecca Kadaga will help the police with investigations into the death of Butaleja Woman MP Cerinah Nebanda, and ordered a judicial inquest into the legislator’s death.

Describing the people who accuse his government of killing Nebanda as “idiots” and “fools” at a press conference in Kampala, the President criticised a section of NRM outspoken legislators for “conniving” with Dr Sylvester Onzivua, the forensic pathologist, to “steal” the samples.

Dr Onzivua was working with MPs and the family but was arrested as he set out to fly to South Africa with body samples. He was detained for two days and released on police bond last week. The President said the family can request for an independent investigation but they “must” use police samples.

Mr Museveni said the results show Nebanda died as a result of taking drugs and requested the Nebanda’s mother to be “courageous” and face the truth. He said the drugs could have been taken knowingly or unknowingly.

The President said what cannot be contested is that the deceased was in company of “drug sellers” or “drug users”. He said police arrested drug dealers whom he said were Adam Kalungi’s associates. Adam Kalungi, who is wanted by the Force in connection with Nebanda’s death, was her boyfriend.

But responding to a question on whether Ms Kadaga will be questioned for disputing the government’s preliminary autopsy and toxicology findings which linked Nebanda’s death to cocaine and narcotic drugs, Mr Museveni said: “If Kadaga knows who killed Nebanda, police will ask her.” “If she knows what we don’t know, she will [definitely] tell the police and the coroner [a government official who confirms and certifies the death of an individual within a jurisdiction].” We could not get a comment from Ms Kadaga because her phone was switched off.

Mr Museveni, who vowed to fight his critics in the same way he did for the former president Idi Amin, said he sent samples to laboratories in Israel and was still waiting for results. “I have nothing but contempt for those who have been peddling lies that NRM could have had a hand in Nebanda’s death,” he said. He added: “Yes, we kill [our enemies], but we only kill those armed enemies in combat. Anybody who says we killed Nebanda is an idiot, a foo.” They will know what it means to fight NRM.” He said Nebanda was a “chicky” legislator manipulated by “crooks”.

Mr Museveni advised parents to watch over the children and be retained as “consultants”. He said the role of detecting and preventing crime lay with only the police. The President told MPs that they do not have powers to stop police investigations and warned Parliament against habouring criminals.

The President was criticising MPs who spent a night in Parliament to evade police arrest in connection with Nebanda’s death. On Sunday, the President’s condolence message was torn to pieces, government officials forced to flee for their safety, and their cars pelted with crude missiles, as the burial of Nebanda turned rowdy. The President blamed intelligence for failure to detect the chaos.