20-1-11

Police suspect denies burning the Kasubi tombs

Halima Athumani
Musoke Joseph a mental patient who was being held in police custody and undergoing treatment at
Butabika hospital has denied burning the Kasubi tombs.

Appearing before the Kasubi tombs commission of inquiry as witness number 86, a frail and sickly
Musoke alias Mukisa Kamwenda denied ever setting foot at the royal tombs.

Before his testimony the commission quizzed Dr. Julius Muron a consultant psychiatrist at Butabika
hospital on Musoke’s credibility as a witness in the case.

Dr. Muron informed court that Musoke was undergoing treatment for his mental illness since 2005 until
when he was admitted to the hospital on the 2 nd April 2010.

Musoke’s condition at the time of admission was severe that he was stripping himself naked and hanged
a torn bible around his neck. The Dr. adds that Musoke believed he was Jesus Christ the King of Kings
though he later denied this in his testimony.

The commission heard that at the time of the fire at Kasubi, Musoke was grossly disturbed though his
condition had improved with slow speech and involuntary movements. However, inspite his mental
illness he was still competent and could testify before the commission according to the Doctor.

To prove his mental ability, the commission asked Musoke how many children he has and to name all six
which he did. He was also asked to mention his parents names to which he mention Yowana Mulwana
as his Father and couldn’t remember his mother’s name.

After taking oath, Musoke confessed that he has never visited the Lubiri nor reached the Kasubi tombs.
In his testimony early this month the Police Criminal investigations deputy chief, Moses Sakira,
presented to the commission a copy of the preliminary report he submitted to the Inspector General of
Police Maj. Gen Kale Kayihura three months after the inferno.

In the report, Sakira said the Police ruled out the possibility of the fire having resulted from an electric
short circuit. He said it was arson and revealed that the police had zeroed down on two men.

They are Joseph Musoke, a resident of Ndejje in Wakiso district, who on March 31, last year, walked to
Nakulabye Police Station, claiming that he had set the tombs ablaze.

However, today Musoke said he does not remember what he told the police on the day he was arrested.
He said he did not burn the tombs because he is mentally incapacitated. He is also alleged to have said
that the tombs where a devil worshipping place and a source of death claims he denied.
Musoke maintains that on the 16th of March after work, he took his family food and when he arrived at
home, he heard on the radio that the tombs had been set on fire.

Kasubi tombs, a UNESCO world heritage site since 2001, were torched on March 16, 2010.

The President instituted the commission, chaired by Justice George Engwau of the Court of Appeal to
probe the cause of the inferno. 86 out of the 87 witnessed testified before the commission.

The commission is now going for a retreat to evaluate the evidence in accordance with the terms of
reference. Thereafter, it will give its findings, recommendations and conclusions in a report to the
Ministry of Culture, Gender and Social development on the 23 rd of February.