Deceased’s body covered with a blanket at the crime scene
Shock and grief gripped residents of Hamurambi and Rwengwe villages in Kagarama Ward, Hamuhambo Town Council, on Sunday after a local businessman in his 40s was found brutally murdered by unknown assailants. The deceased, identified as Edison Orikiriza Ntuguta, was discovered lying in a pool of blood at around 7:00am along the Kachwekano–Kagarama road, at the boundary separating Rwengwe, Hamurambi, and Kitogota villages.
According to Aggrey Bandebaho, LC3 Chairperson of Hamuhambo Sub-county, Orikiriza was cut several times on the head and chest before his body was dragged about 80 meters and dumped by the roadside. Bandebaho said the deceased was waylaid between 5:00 am and 6:00 am while on his way to buy local brew, commonly known as Muramba, for business.
He noted that the killers stripped the deceased of his clothes and left the body naked, possibly to distort evidence.
Bandebaho further alleged that the killing could be linked to political wrangles in the area involving former Rubanda District LC5 Chairperson Kenneth Jogo Biryabarema and State Minister for Finance (General Duties) Henry Ariganyira Musasizi, following recent NRM party primaries. He claimed that some people had, a day earlier, threatened to “teach Orikiriza a lesson” if he continued supporting Jogo.
Dickson Tugume, the NRM LC2 Chairperson and uncle to the deceased, said the killing has left the entire community in shock. He also alleged that the act was politically motivated, claiming that on Saturday, a group had threatened to kill Orikiriza along with five others.
Owen Ahumuza, a concerned resident, appealed to security authorities to urgently investigate the murder and threats against Jogo’s supporters. He revealed that he, too, received death threats on Saturday from a group accusing him of supporting Jogo.
The Officer-in-Charge of Rubanda Police Station, Melch Ahimbisibwe, faulted locals for tampering with the crime scene by covering the naked body with a cloth. He said this interfered with police efforts to use a sniffer dog to track the assailants. Ahimbisibwe urged residents to provide information that could lead to arrests, though he did not comment on claims that some locals are receiving death threats.
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