Was Bugiri school inspector’s murder linked to impending promotion?

Police are investigating the kidnaping and murder of the Bugiri District Inspector of Schools, exploring leads that an impending promotion had something to do with his death.

David Tenywa Kazungu’s body was mid-morning Tuesday found in a pit latrine, two days after he went missing from his farm in in Nanderema Village, Kapyanga Sub-county, Bugiri District.

The deceased, who was a brother to Dr Waiswa Kazungu of Mulago Hospital and Makerere University; and Justine Kazungu of State House, was on Wednesday laid to rest at Matovu Village, Nankoma Sub-county in Bugiri District.

During the burial, mourners heard from Juma Nyende, the former Bugiri District chief Administrative Officer (CAO), that the District Education Officer (DEO) Henry Kabulo is about to retire and they were, therefore, preparing the deceased for that position.

“Because of his work, Kabulo is about to retire, and we were preparing the late for that position. It is of no use to clamour for a job which isn’t yours,” Nyende said.

He added: “If these goons were hired, we shall not leave any stone unturned. My religion (Islam) says Allah is the creator and the one who takes; why do you think you are intelligent enough to help Allah by taking Kazungu?”

According to Nyende, Tenywa who he described as bright an hardworking- started serving in Bugiri District in 1997.

“Upon joining, he was given a Grade One school and he rose through various ranks,” he added.

Kabulo urged Badru Sebyala, the Bugiri Resident District Commissioner (RDC), to ensure that the perpetuators are brought to book, saying the deceased was “a very kind man who didn’t deserve to be murdered.”

Kabulo noted that the killers should have shown Tenywa some dignity in death, saying when Police retrieved his body from the pit-latrine, all bystanders fled the scene due to the horrible stench it emitted.

“What I know is that when someone dies, they have rights as a dead person. I urge those carrying out investigating the matter to charge the perpetuators with abusing the rights of the dead. Why bound him with ropes, strangle him and discard him in a pit-latrine?” he asked.

However, RDC Sebyala said police arrest people but when he and his deputy summon residents to testify so that criminals are kept off the streets, they (residents) instead bribe the policemen.

He confirmed that some arrests have been made, which corroborates police accounts that that three people were being spoken to as persons of interest.

“The deceased was last seen talking to his casual labourers on the farm; so, we suspect that they could know something about the incident,” Busoga East Police Spokesperson Diana Nandaula said on Tuesday.

On May 30, 2023, detectives raided Bukoyo Village, Bulamagi Sub-county, Iganga District, and interrogated a sister to shamba boys believed to have kidnapped and murdered Kazungu.

Police and family revelations suggest that the deceased was last seen at around 11am on Saturday morning, driving towards his farm in Nanderema Village, Kapyanga Sub-county, Bugiri District. This prompted his daughter to file a missing persons report at Bugiri Central Police Station on Monday.

A source close to the family said when the deceased disappeared, they thought he had gone for a seminar and tried tracing for until Sunday when they started receiving distressing phone calls from suspected kidnappers seeking a Shs50m ransom, before reducing it to Shs20m and Shs5m by Monday evening.

It was after the family didn’t yield to the kidnappers’ demands that they directed them to a pit-latrine where they found Tenywa’s body.