John Sanyu Katuramu is now a free man

Court found that on March 25, 1999, Katuramu financed the murder of the prince and his bodyguard at Palace View Bar in Fort Portal.

He was sentenced alongside his nephew, Patrick Kwezi, who was convicted for transmitting the cash to the killers and Alex Twinomugisha, a former UPDF soldier, who pulled the trigger. We have learnt that Kwezi and Twinomugisha have also been released.

This is how Katuramu ended up in prison. After the death of the Omukama of Toro kingdom, Patrick Olimi Kaboyo, in 1993, disagreements rocked the monarchy over the management of the kingdom’s property.

The ensuing battle pitted the kingdom’s Prime Minister John Katuramu against the royals, especially prince Happy Kijanangoma and princess Elizabeth Bagaya.

The royals petitioned court seeking revocation of Katuramu’s powers to manage the kingdom properties. They alleged that the premier was having an inappropriate affair with the Queen Mother, Best Kemigisa. During the same period Kijanangoma was mobilising the royal clan to move a vote of no confidence against Katuramu. His position in the kingdom lay in balance.

It was alleged that in order to preempt the move to have him removed from office, Katuramu hired assailants who killed Happy Kijanangoma on March 25, 1999.

But before travelling to Fort Portal to attend the court case against Katuramu on March 25, 1999, Kijanangoma had asked Karamagi to inform a friend, Mboijana, that he had heard information that Katuramu had hired gunmen for Shs6 million to kill him. On that evening of March 25 while enjoying drinks with a friend, Ferri Babara, at Palace View Bar in Fort Portal, an unknown person entered and whispered to Alex Twinomugisha (A1) and the two went out. Shortly after, they returned and Twinomugisha shot Kijanangoma and the bar’s night watchman Stephen Kaganda. Both died on the spot. Babara was injured.

Twinomugisha was arrested in Kireka in Kampala by Capt. Kayanja on July 23, 1999. He was taken to the Directorate of Military Intelligence (now CMI) and to Kampala Central Police Station.

Patrick Kwezi (A2) who had acted as the contact person between Katuramu and Twinomugisha was arrested in Kasese. John Katuramu (A3) masterminded and funded the murder plot.

Three months later, the same assailants shot Makerere University students, two of them from the same family, were Friday night shot dead by unknown assailants at the Campus Estates’ gate, along Bombo Road. The dead were identified as Maria Mirindi Birungi Katasi, third year social science student, her cousin, Cpl. Mirindi Amooti Kajabagu and Richard Tumwesigye, fourth and third year law students, respectively.

All victims had completed their courses. Birungi Katasi had been resident at Paradise Hostel but attached to Mary Stuart Hall. Amooti Kajabago was attached to Nkrumah Hall while Tumwesigye was attached to Mitchell Hall. Reports said Katasi and Cpl. Kajabagu, a former army Kadogo, were related to Mr. Kajabago Karusoke of the Movement Secretariat. Cpl was reportedly following up closely the death of Prince Kijanangoma.