Police arrests armed Moslem beggar
Police said Mayambala will be subjected to a psychiatric evaluation to ascertain if he is in the right frame of mind to stand trial – standard police practice preceding prosecution.
Army combat fatigues and boots are among items police have recovered from the home of a disabled man who was found to be in possession of a gun six days ago.
Kintu Mayambala, a 43-year-old male, has been moonlighting as a beggar on Kampala’s streets. He had been the subject of a long-running surveillance operation after police informers reported that the beggar carried a weapon.
Kampala Metropolitan police arrested him last week after he was frisked and a loaded pistol found on his person.
Mayambala also goes by three different names; Farouk Mugabi, Tonny Antony Amuza, and Cowboy 43. The wheel chair-bound man was arrested on Tuesday at a spot outside Kalungu Plaza in the capital city’s central business district.
The suspect reportedly told arresting officers that he is a resident of Biina Mutungo, a densely populated Kampala suburb in Nakawa Division.
He spoke fluent Swahili and seemed to be familiar with military matters, a fact which may have raised even more suspicions about him.
One of the officers who arrested Mayambala said the suspect regularly carried out his begging activities along Namirembe Road, but could also be found around the mosque next to Arua Park.
The Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Mr Patrick Onyango said the wheelchair-bound man took detectives to his home and among other items recovered included army combat fatigues and boots.
Onyango revealed that six mobile phones and a still camera were also recovered from Mayambala at the time of his arrest.
Police say the suspect who spoke fluent Swahili and seemed to be familiar with military matters raised questions and suspicions about his status and how he ended up disguising himself as a street beggar.