Prime
Security men who have killed for love
What you need to know:
They are taught to protect and defend and they indeed live by the word. But what’s the worst you could do to a man in uniform? As Andrew Bagala writes, you can steal anything from a security officer and probably get away with it. But when it comes to his partner, you ought to draw the line. Emmanuel Drazua, prison warder
In 2011, Emmanuel Drazua, a warder at Sentema Government Prisons in Wakiso District, had severally complained to his superiors about his wife, Amaite-Erina, a prison wardress, of having an affair with a boda boda cyclist. Drazua claimed that he once found his wife in Sadiq’s house but the latter fled and he had to borrow clothes to cover his wife. He claimed that he did it to save his nine-year-old marriage from collapsing. But on August 13, 2012 when he found her near a lodge, they had a bitter exchange. Drazua later told court that the deceased had threatened him and told him to stop joking with her. Both were armed. Amaite allegedly cocked her gun but didn’t discharge any bullet, instead Drazua shot at her four times, killing her. Drazua went into hiding but was arrested and charged with murder. He argued that he acted in self-defence on the fateful day. “I killed my wife but I had no malice aforethought”. He was sentenced to death.
Pte Julius Mucunguzi, Top Bar
If there is any disciplined force in the country, it is the Special Forces Command, formerly the Presidential Guard Brigade. They are trained to endure harsh conditions and show patience when provoked. However, in 2009, Pte Julius Mucunguzi couldn’t stand the humiliation of being thrown out of a bar by a bouncer at Top Bar as he looked for a woman he was with, who had stolen his mobile phone. The soldier is said to have returned to his home in Nakasero, State House, where he picked his gun and returned to the bar to settle the matter. He shot dead eight people before turning the gun on himself.
L/CPL Rwakihembo, Luzira
A fter earning his hard-earned money in the war-torn Somalia, UPDF officer, Lance Corporal Herbert Rwakihembo, attached to the Military Police thought it best to send it back home to his fiancée, Irene Namuyaba, who was living in Luzira, a Kampala suburb. But Namuyaba was allegedly a ‘bad wife’ and mismanaged the money. However, there were reports that his fiancée was having an extra-marital affair. So on December 10, 2012 the soldier followed his woman to where she was meeting her friends but she wasn’t amused. It is alleged that the group began mocking him, causing the soldier to lose his temper and patience. Jacob Nyanzi, L/CPL Rwakihembo’s brother, said it is what Namuyaba said that annoyed him. “She told him that bullets had drained his manhood and that she had replaced him with a fresher lover. She even assured him the child was not his,” Nyanzi said. The annoyed L/CPL Rwakihembo, then picked his gun and shot his fiancée and two others dead. He later handed himself over to the authorities. Many residents showed up at the trial and sided with the soldier, some saying it was unfair for a man to risk his life in war and have his woman spend his hard-earned money with other men. But the law is the law, and L/CPL Rwakihembo was convicted and sentenced to 30 years behind bars.
Alex Kityo, army Private
On May 17, 2010, the officer attached to CMI went to Kibuli Police Training School, hunting for his girlfriend, Irene Chemusto, with whom he had a child. It was alleged that Chemusto wanted to end their affair but the soldier was against the idea. Armed, Kityo entered the police school with intent to finish off his lover, but was caught off guard when he shot another, mistaking her for Chemusto. He later turned the gun on himself.
Police Constable, Moses Kangwagye
The officer, attached to the Mobile Police Patrol Unit, stabbed his wife to death at Kireka Police Barracks. The woman had accused him of having an extra-marital affair. He disappeared after the incident.
LDU officer in Mbale
The Local Defence Unit officer, whose name has never been disclosed, allegedly followed his fiancée and her alleged lover until they entered the house. According to Diana Nandawula, the eastern region police spokesperson, the officer had a fully-loaded gun with intention to finish off the duo. He allegedly found them in bed, prompting him to shoot. The suspect took off after the incident. He was later arrested and the gun recovered.
Sgt. Robert Okiror, Kisoro
It is one thing to want to control your partner’s finances but it’s something else if you made such demands while your partner suspects you are cheating. So was the case in December 2013 when Sgt. Robert Okiror, 39, shot dead his lover and her bar maid, suspecting the former of having other affairs. Apparently, the soldier’s woman had demanded for his ATM card, hoping that if she controlled his finances, he would not spend on other women. Sgt. Okiror, however, told the court martial that his lover had once assaulted him with a stick when he asked to use his ATM card. He was then forced to shoot at the door where she was, killing her and another person. The soldier is serving a 30-year sentence.
Pte Patrick Okot Odoch, Bombo
When a UPDF soldier shot dead 10 people in Bombo Town on March 9, 2013, many didn’t look at what triggered his actions. Reports later emerged that Pte Patrick Okot Odoch had attempted to forcibly sleep with his colleague’s daughter. However, his attempts were cut short when the girl made an alarm, which prompted him to flee. The case was reported to the police. Imagining how much shame he would have to bear, an angry Pte Odoch left his guard post to look for the girl’s parents. He found them having a good time with their friends in a bar and then shot at them. Ten people were killed in the incident. The soldier fled but was arrested in Oyam District, prosecuted and sentenced to 65 years in jail.
