President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has said the two bombers behind the Tuesday morning attacks in Kampala acted in panic and quickly detonated the bombs, killing themselves and injuring scores. According to the Commander in Chief of Uganda’s armed forces, the security apparatus are narrowing in on the terrorist cells in the country following their attack on Transport Minister Gen Edward Katumba Wamala.
In June, attackers waylaid Gen Wamala as he left his home in Kisaasi, a Kampala suburb, showering his car with bullets that killed his daughter and driver. The 5-star Gen Wamala has served in various capacities including leading the two key armed forces, as Inspector General of Police and Chief of Defence Forces.
The attack on Gen Wamala was one of a series of attacks that have happened in Kampala, which the security forces have said were perpetrators by criminals with the intention of causing fear among the population. In 2015, armed men attacked and killed Joan Kagezi, a state prosecutor who at the time was the lead government lawyer in a case against suspected killers of Muslim clerics in Uganda. Col Ibrahim Abiriga, the former Arua Municipality Member of Parliament was also gunned down in 2019, as were others like Maj Sulaiman Kiggundu, Mohammed Kirumira, a police boss as well as Assistant Inspector General of Police Andrew Felix Kaweesi.
At the height of the killings President Museveni announced a series of measures that government was adopting to catch up with the killers. Among the measures, the government announced that it was procuring CCTV cameras which were installed in key areas in and around the city. Following the attack on Gen Katumba, police released CCTV footage showing the movements of the shooters. Days later security swung into action, arresting several suspects.
A statement by then Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gen Paul Lokech (deceased) on July 1 named several suspects that were arrested following the attack. Gen Lokech called the arrests a major breakthrough. One of the suspects, Muhammad Kagugube admitted to participating in the attack on Gen Wamala. The suspect reportedly carried out surveillance on Wamala and after the attack received the gun used from the attackers. Several other suspects were arrested including the mastermind behind the attacks, Lubwama Hussein alias Kinene Christopher aka MASTER, a resident of Kabulengwa – Kyebando in Nansana Municipality, who was arrested along Nansana Nabweru road. According to police, the suspect who was the team leader and head of the domestic terror cell, put up very stiff resistance to the extent of grabbing a gun from an officer, but was subdued by the task team. He later succumbed to his injuries.
“We have now established that the overall coordination of these domestic terror cells is by Sheikh ABUDIN HUBAIDA TAHEEL BUKENYA, an ex-ADF combatant who was given Amnesty, but has violated it. He is reactivating the domestic terror cells and is the brain behind the recruitment of assailants like Muhammad Kagugube alias BAFUMOYA and Lubwama Hussein alias Kinene Christopher alias Master”, the police statement on July 1 read, adding; “The group has been behind the robberies of Nansana Cheap Store, Ntake Robbery and Murder and the robbery on the Supermarket at Mpererwe. Their linkage to the earlier suspects, charged to court is that the killer gun, is linked to the murder of the late AIGP Andrew Felix Kawesi and Major Kiggundu.”
Police stated then that the case was one of political violence and domestic terrorism. “The suspects are part of the team that trained in the North Kivu ADF camp and had started reactivating the domestic terror cells in the country”.
In his statement on Tuesday about the twin blasts, President Museveni said the attackers in Kampala are also part of the ADF group that attacked Gen. Katumba in June. “As I told the country before, by attacking Gen. Katumba, these terrorists, exposed themselves at a time when our security (anti-crime) infrastructure has improved, compared to what it was in 2018 when I made the speech to Parliament.”
The President decried the manner in which young Ugandans, who he fondly refers to as bazukulu (grandchildren) are being manipulated by criminals to carry out the attacks. He named as one Sheikh Nsubuga, who he called out to blow himself up if he truly believes in what he preaches to the young men he uses in the attacks against Ugandans.
He lauded Ugandans for the vigilance which he says has helped minimize the damage caused by the attacks. He explains that it was this vigilance that forced the Kampala bombers to blow themselves up in the Tuesday morning attacks.
“The terrorists invited us and we are coming for them,” Gen Museveni signed off on his statement to Ugandans on Tuesday.
