Government summons foreign envoy over Muzoora’s death

By Nelson Wesonga & Nicholas Kalungi  from DAILY MONITOR

Internal Affairs Minister Hillary Onek said yesterday Uganda has summoned the ambassador of an unnamed neighbouring country to explain the circumstances under which the late Col. Edison Muzoora’s body turned up in Uganda.

But even as he addressed a news conference, there were conflicting signals from government over the matter which has led to the arrest of at least five individuals including officials of the opposition Forum for Democratic Change party.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is supposed to handle Uganda’s consular relations with diplomats posted here, said it was not aware that any envoy has been called in on this issue. “It is possible but I am not aware of it,” Amb. James Mugume, the foreign affairs permanent secretary, said on phone last evening.

Mr Onek said at a news conference in Kampala yesterday morning that Uganda summoned an ambassador of a neighbouring country, which he did not name, to discuss the issue. Mr Onek said the question Uganda wants answered is whether the late Col. Muzoora sneaked through that country without its authority.

“We want to discuss with that country why this happened through their country, and why they did not inform Uganda and yet they knew what Col. Muzoora was involved in,” Mr Onek had said.

“For the sake of diplomatic harmony between the two states, Uganda has invited the ambassador of that country for interaction on how to address the issue.”
Rwanda, a country which has had a cooling of relations with Kampala over security issues, yesterday denied that its ambassador to Uganda has been summoned over Col. Muzoora’s death.

No communication
Mr John Ngarambe, the first secretary at the Rwandan Embassy in Kampala, told Daily Monitor that they have not received any official communication to this effect. “I have not seen a copy of any such official communication and so can’t say anything about it,” said Mr Ngarambe.

Rwandan ambassador Frank Mugambaje, according to Mr Ngarambe, is out of the country and would not return until the weekend. In 2003, Uganda officials, some directly others indirectly, claimed that the late Col. Muzoora had like other UPDF renegade officers Anthony Kyakabale and Samson Mande fled Uganda through Rwanda -- accusations Rwanda denied.

Before his death, Col. Muzoora was also linked to a shadowy anti-Kampala rebel group, the People’s Redemption Army, which Uganda’s security reportedly suspected was being sponsored by Rwanda – a charge also denied by that country.

According to Mr Onek, Col. Muzoora entered Uganda on May 5 and died on May 27 in the home of William Mukaira, the Bushenyi District FDC chairperson. Assistant Inspector General of Police Asan Kasingye confirmed that Abel Kacwano, Obed Musinguzi a.k.a Sebagala, Deus, Boniface Mumbere, William Mukaira and Dr Aggrey Byamaka are being held as suspects in the colonel’s death.

The police also said all suspects were in its custody. Until yesterday, it had maintained that it did not know the whereabouts of Dr Byamaka even as the army said they had handed him over to the police.

Mr Onek said the government doubts the credibility of the initial postmortem report since it was prepared by one of the suspects, Dr Byamaka.