The Police have broken the silence on the arrest and death of 75-year-old Muhongya Costa from Kasese district.
Unidentified men driving in a minibus alias drone picked up Muhongya from Katholu trading centre-Nyakiyumbu Sub County on January 5, 2023.
They drove him to Bwera police station and later took him to an unknown destination. His relatives in Buhuna village Karambi Sub County say that after days of a manhunt, they were advised last week to check at the city mortuary where they discovered his body.
They established that his body was delivered to the facility and buried at the city cemetery on January 19th, 2023. They have since been demanding an explanation of the circumstances under, which Muhongya was arrested and died.
On Tuesday, police spokesperson, Fred Enanga confirmed that Muhongya was arrested by security personnel on his alleged links to the rebel Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).
He said that four suspects who were involved in the attack at Busika police station in Luwero district in November last year claimed that Muhongya supported them during their training in DR. Congo to gain access to and from Uganda. “So the suspects managed to lead our investigators up to Kasese where we managed to arrest Muhongya Constantine and we brought him to Kireka,” Enanga said.
On his death, Enanga said Muhongya slipped in a bathroom in Kireka where he was being detained and sustained internal injuries that subsequently led to his death. He dismissed claims that he was tortured upon arrest and warned politicians against tainting the police image.
“The lawyer established that the Muhongya Constantine who was being kept in Kireka was sleeping and staying with twelve other suspects, who recorded statements using this information the lawyer established that he slipped off in the bathroom and got injured in the chest leading to his death,” Enanga added.
He, however, failed short of explaining why they dumped his body at the city cemetery where he was buried secretly without the knowledge of his family. Enanga also failed to respond to the demands of the family that the police take responsibility for exhuming the body and compensating them since their relative died in their custody without appearing in any court.
Muhongya’s son, Ezra Tindyebwa has dismissed the account of the police arguing that his father has spent a large part of his life in Kasese doing small-scale farming. He says that the family doesn’t have the capacity to exhume the body and has called for assistance from the local leaders.