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| Merab Nalubega |
She was last seen at her hostel in Kyambogo when she left for Kireka to get medicine from a herbalist. A tycoon who resides in Kajjansi has also been linked to her disappearance that has left her desperate family in tears over unanswered questions.
The story
The Friday of November, 09, 2012 will forever be etched as the darkest for Samuel Muwonge, Nalubega’s father.
A student of Bachelors of Sciences, Nalubega (right), was last seen at noon by Justine Asio with whom they shared a room at Calton hostel.
Asio says that on the fateful day, Nalubega talked received a call from Kivumbi Kaggwa at noon. Kaggwa, according to Nalubega’s father,
Muwonge, was a herbalist whose father always treated his daughter. He however refused to disclose what she was being treated for.
Muwonge says Kaggwa took over the work after his father, Kiwanuka of Kireka-Kamuli passed away and so the family knew him well.
Asio narrates that she too knew Kaggwa well because he always visited Nalubega at the hostel and they often spoke on phone. She said the two were also once lovers but the relationship ended.
She says on the fateful day they both did not attend class and spent the day at the hostel. However in the evening Nalubega said she was going to Kaggwa’s in Kireka to pick her medicine.
Asio says they had classmates who had visited them at the hostel that evening, so Nalubega left with one of them called George William Musoke who was also heading to Kireka.
She says when Nalubega never returned that night, she assumed she had spent the night at Kaggwa’s since they were once in a relationship.
A short while back, according to Asio, Kaggwa had visited Nalubega at the hostel and threatened to harm her if she did not get back with him. She called her number that night but it wouldn’t go through.
Strange phone call
Livingstone Bukenya, a sister to Nalubega, says the next morning on Saturday, November 10, he received an anonymous phone call at 8.00am from an Airtel number. The voice on the other end of the line said: “You come and pick your sister she has been beaten and is about to die!” The line then went dead silent.
Bukenya says at the time he was bed ridden and was home in Namataba, Mukono.
He says when he called back he was told the line was for a pay phone in Kireka.
He claims, however, that the voice on the other end had sounded like that of Kaggwa because he knew him well and they had talked on several occasions before.
He says he then called his sister’s number but it was off. He called Asio’s number but it was also off. He then called a friend and told him to check at the hostel.
The friend found Asio and put her on phone, but she too told him she was still puzzled that Nalubega had not yet turned up and could not even be reached.
Investigations
Kyambogo police, members of Nalubega’s family worked together with Airtel and obtained a printout of the call log for Kaggwa’s phone number. The printout showed that Kaggwa had indeed called Nalubega at noon and at 7.00pm.
Kaggwa though claimed that he had last spoken to her three weeks back! This was evidence that Kaggwa had erased her number from his phone contacts because the printout showed he had actually called her.
Police also wondered how Kaggwa could not have his patient’s phone contact yet he had in his phone book, her brother’s contact.
When Kaggwa was taken to Kireka at the Special Investigations Unit headquarters, he altered the statement he had made at Kyambogo! However after intensive grilling, he revealed Nalubega was in South Sudan, but did not know her exact location.
He asked for his phone so he could get the Police a contact for the person in Sudan who could lead them to Nalubega.
When he provided the phone number, it was not available.
Kajjansi tycoon
When Kaggwa seemed cornered, he requested the Police to produce two people after which he would reveal where Nalubega was. One of them was a tycoon who resides in Kajjansi-Bwebajja (names withheld) and his sister Viola.
Kaggwa was asked to put his request in writing which he did. When the tycoon was traced and arrested, he was detained at Jinja Road police station.
When Kaggwa finally set eyes the tycoon he instead said he had only requested for him so he could rescue him from the mess as payback for his father who had made him rich.
During a meeting between Nalubega’s family and police in February this year at Kireka, a detective identified as Rabu said they had done everything possible to arrest the tycoon but he was bonded.
South Sudan number
On the phone printout of Kaggwa’s call log was a South Sudan registered number that he had called the day of Nalubega’s disappearance.
The phone number was +211921248310. Kaggwa had spoken to the person at 6:42pm on the day of Nalubega’s disappearance. That was shortly before Kaggwa talked to Nalubega at 7.00pm.
The call log showed Kaggwa had contacted this person again at 8:46am the following morning. That was shortly after he had called Nalubega’s brother telling him to pick his sister who had been ‘beatn severly.’
If Nalubega is actually in South Sudan it implies someone who brokered the deal took her there. Who is this person?
The mindboggling case is registered on file number CRB3872/12. Kaggwa is charged with kidnap with intent to murder.
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