On January 9, the country was gripped with the news about the death of one of its great legislature, Hon. Mohammed Ssegirinya, aged 37 years, a member of parliament for Kawempe North constituency. MUKWABA KATENDE picked out some of the notable prominent Ugandans who have died mysteriously or whose deaths have bred controversy.
Mohammed Ssegirinya (January 9, 2025)
At the time of his demise, the exact cause of his death is still unknown. Many people do not accept the explanation surrounds his death that the evidence does not add up. Some have wondered whether Ssegirinya died of natural causes or his death was masterminded.
Before his death, he had been bedridden in different hospitals in Uganda, Kenya and Netherlands following his release from prison where he had been incarcerated for two years.
Ssegirinya and Makindye West MP Allan Ssewanyana were arrested in September 2021 in connection with machete killings in the greater Masaka region. They were granted bail and rearrested shortly after.
Fresh murder charges were then slapped against them, stemming from the machete killings in Lwengo District, where more than 20 people were killed.
While appearing before court via video conferencing in 2021, Ssegirinya displayed his rotting feet and attributed it to torture while in Kigo prison. Ssegirinya’s lawyer Samuel Muyizzi Mulindwa said that his health had worsened after he was granted bail and had never improved.
Cerinah Nebanda (December 14, 2012)
At the age of 23, Cerinah Nebanda Arioru was already a woman MP for Butaleja district. unfortunately, at 24 she was dead!
She was part of a section of MP’s from ruling NRM who had been critical of president Yoweri Museveni’s handling of national affairs, the fight against corruption and Museveni’s long stay in power.
Nebanda’s step father Fredrick Mukasa, raised tempers during a requiem mass at Christ the King Church in Kampala, when he revealed to the mourners how people who said they were from Government- run newspaper, The New Vision visited him and asked him to back a report that her daughter died of a heart attack. He said refused to cooperate.
Tension rose four days after her death when police blocked an independent inquiry set jointly by health experts from Mulago National referral Hospital and parliament. Police arrested Dr. Sylvester Onzivua, the Mulago hospital pathologist, who was taking samples from the deceased’s body to south Africa for test to ascertain the cause of her death.
Immediately after her death questions were being asked about why her mysterious boyfriend Adam Suleiman Kalungi and three others dumped her at Mukwaya General Clinic in Nsambya a Kampala suburb, and went into hiding.
Francis Ayume May 16, 2004
The late Speaker of Parliament and Attorney General died in an accident while returning to Kampala from his home Village in Kiboko. As was the case in many other deaths, questions that no one could readily answer abounded.
It emerged that Ayume’s official car and its driver had been withdrawn from him, the car in which he died and the driver were new.
The then trade minister Janet Mukwaya said the deceased and others in cabinet had surrendered their vehicles for the African Development Bank meeting going on in Kampala and that the organizers had refused to take their vehicles without their drivers.
However, the withdrawal of the car and driver only served to stamp the idea of possible foul play. Just a few days to his death, Ayume had spoken to a Journalist Andrew Mwenda, the then political Editor of Monitor newspaper and expressed fear for his life. This was around the time that NRM positioning itself to lift presidential term limits which Ayume had objected to.
Brig. Noble Mayombo (April 30, 2007)
He was the Director of military intelligence and permanent secretary in the ministry of defence. Mayombo died mysteriously in Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi in Kenya were he was admitted.
Rumors of poisoning were abounded with none other than President Museveni suggesting at the burial that Mayombo had been at the top of a hit- squad list of an enemy in the region.
President Museveni appointed a committee to probe Mayombo’s death and the report handed to him in November 2007, Seven months after Mayombo’s death but has never been made public. To date, the family, media, and politicians remain in speculation as what exactly led to his death.
Arch. Dr. Cyprian Kizito Lwanga (April 7, 2021)
He was found dead in bed on a holy Saturday. After the receiving the news of Archbishop’s unexpected death many Ugandans found the timing of his death to be suspicious. However, Medical examiners said he died of a heart attack that was triggered by a blood clot.
Day after he was found dead Lwanga had delivered a blistering criticism of the NRM government on Good Friday.
Former presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi said Archbishop Lwanga’s death raised many questions since a day before, he was well and had used the opportunity to condemn the government.
Anthony Wagaba Ssekweyama (October 1, 2000)
He was the DP’s Publicity Secretary, Presidential aspirant for 2001 elections and renowned journalist. He died in a car accident near his home at Kakungube, Nsangi about nine miles on the Kampala Masaka road.
Its alleged that his car then a Toyota Mark II, number UAB OO2B collided head-on with an Isuzu lorry. The damaged Car was found on one side of the road parked and his lifeless body at the other opposite side. Wide spread speculation and allegations of foul play were at the centre stage.
Joseph musaasizi Kifefe (November 29, 2007)
He was a brother to Col. Dr. Kizza Besigye. He was arrested on November 22, 2004, by security operatives from CMI. He was trailed from Total petrol station Nsambya, a petrol station owned by Besigye, and arrested at Crane Bank where he had gone to bank the days sales.
He was accused of belonging to a rebel group, the Peoples Redemption Army. While, in prison he started complaining of stomach complications. The situation worsened and court compelled to grant him bail. He lived less than six months and he was pronounced dead at Mulago hospital. His family said never had a history of bad health and the circumstances that led to his death were started while in Prison.
Maj. Gen. James Kazini (November 10, 2009)
According to reports, Kazini went to the bedroom, changed clothes and came out wearing a safari outfit. Then he received a call. Its not clear who called him and what he was told on the phone. Anyhow, he immediately picked his car keys and left out of the house.
Outside the house, his driver was seated in an army green in army registered official vehicle. as he saw his boos walking out, he started the engine. However Kazini walked directly to another car and drove off alone. His driver didn’t follow him and 30 minutes after he had driven off, someone called his home with bad news that he was dead.
Gen. Aronda Nyakairima (September 12, 2015)
He was the internal affairs minister, was apparently in good health before being suddenly found dead on flight aboard United Emirates plane.
Aronda was returning from South Korea where he led a government team to explore acquisition of equipment for the National Identity card project.
As soon as news broke that Gen Aronda had died on Emirates Airlines flight from South Korea to Dubai, the New vision newspaper quoting government spokesman Ofwono Opondo, tweeted the cause of death as cardiac arrest.
The nature of Aronda’s death also brings into the spotlight. During the state funeral at Kololo Independence grounds, Aronda’s wife, Linda Nyakairima said her husband never had a history of ill health in the last twenty years. However, in his speech, President Museveni revealed that Gen. Aronda had prior heart attacks.
Sheikh. Nuhu Muzata December 04, 2020
Muzatta was one of the most outspoken Muslim clerics. He was noted for his eloquent argument on Muslim issues, social injustice, social life, land grabbing and among other injustices of public relevance.
He was pronounced dead at International Hospital Kampala – IHK where he had been admitted for the last two weeks after he developed an illness.
