The police representative at the burial of Susan Magara in Kitoba Sub-county, Hoima District, on Thursday faced a torrid time from mourners as he explained the Force’s role in the kidnap and promised arrest of her killers in the 21-day ordeal.
Assistant Inspector General of Police Abbas Byakagaba, who was representing Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura, was booed at every moment of his speech as mourners ridiculed the Force’s promises to arrest the killers.
“We have made some progress. We are tracing the suspects. We had good information from the toll free telephones, which we gave the public,” he said, amid boos from the mourners, who also included Security minister Henry Tumukunde, Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom prime minister Andrew Byakutaga, area MPs and ministers.
On his part, Gen Tumukunde, said the death of Susan was a lesson to security agencies and promised to shake up the security department.
“The death of Susan will signal fundamental changes in Uganda, watch the space. I give you assurance that we shall get to the terminal of this issue,” he said, while apologising for failure to save the life of the 28-year-old
“We plead guilty in this particular case because security could have saved the life of Susan, he added.
Ruling out rivalry among security agencies for failing to track the suspects, the minister explained that Susan’s kidnappers were highly experienced hit men, who kept changing SIM cards and location whenever they spoke to the parents.
After 20 days of missing, her body was found on Tuesday along the Southern Bypass off the Entebbe expressway in Kigo. Susan, a cashier with Bwendero Dairy Farm (BDF), was kidnapped on Kabaka Anjagala Road in Rubaga Division on February 7.
