The LC 1 Chairperson of Kalongo Miti zone in Luwero town council, two members of his executive, and a resident are in police custody of the death of a suspected motorbike thief.
The suspects are Isaac Nanzuuka the LC 1 Chairman, Henry Nyanzi, the defence secretary, Robert Ssembatya the Publicity secretary, and Haruna Musisi, all residents of Kalongo Miti zone in Luwero town council
They are accused of participating in mob justice and killing Kenneth Matovu, 25, a resident of the same zone on December 21, 2021. Angry residents descended on Matovu and burnt him to death on allegation accusation of being part of the thieves who had stolen a motorcycle belonging to Hamis Muwonge, also a resident of the area.
The deceased’s mother, Marion Naiga alleges that the LC I Chairperson and other residents arrested Matovu at night on his way home and pressed him to reveal the whereabouts of the stolen motorcycle in vain. He denied his involvement in the theft of the motorcycle.
Naiga says that the group led by Nanzuuka beat Matovu before torching his body ablaze. Police picked up the suspects on Friday two weeks after the mob action and locked them up at Luwero Central Police Station. Isah Ssemogerere, the Savannah Regional Police Spokesperson, says that they picked up seven suspects but the evidence implicated the suspects including the Chairperson.
He says that police have preferred charges of murder against the four suspects and dispatched their file to the State Attorney for sanctioning before they arraign them in court. However, Nanzuuka has distanced himself from the mob action, saying he alerted Police, which arrived long after Matovu had been killed.
According to the Annual Police Crime report for 2020, at least 12 people were killed in mob justice whereas 19 and 17 were killed in 2019 and 2018 respectively in Luwero district. The district is ranked the sixth position with high cases across the country. The majority of the victims of mob Justice are accused of theft, witchcraft, and burglary among others.
