I WANT TO KNOW WHAT KILLED HIM: Museveni Orders Investigation into Jakana Nadduli Cause of Death

Uganda’s President Gen Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni has demanded a comprehensive report on the cause of death of Jakana Sulayiman Nadduli, a son to former minister without portfolio Al hajji Abdul Nadduli. Jakana Sulayiman died on October 24 and was laid to rest at in Kaddunda village, Kapeeka in Nakaseke District. 

Hajji Nadduli is a comrade of Museveni’s National Resistance Army (NRA) ‘liberation’ war which largely raged on in the Luweero Triangle from 1981 through 1986. Gen Museveni was reportedly concerned about the manner in which Jakana Nadduli, a former minister’s son who unsuccessfully contested in the Nakasekke Central parliamentary election.

The death of Jakana has raised questions on the cause of his demise, with the political opposition accusing the state security agencies of torturing him and worsening his health condition. Jakana was arrested in September 2022 over charges of promoting sectarianism against Banyarwanda and Banyankore. He was detained and arraigned in a Luweero court and later released on bail after flip-flopping on his plea, first pleading guilty and later changing his mind and pleading not guilty. (Read Story Here).

His death happened a few weeks following his release from detention and he was expected to return to Luweero Court next month. But Jakana was confirmed dead on Monday morning hours after his condition worsened. The former minister’s son had been involved in an accident early this year, sustaining life-threatening injuries. His detention and alleged torture at the hands of suspected security operatives is said to have worsened his health condition.

Ugandan President Gen Museveni did not attend the burial of Jakana Nadduli but sent his junior minister for Kampala Affairs Kabuye Kyofatogabye to console the family of his NRA bush war comrade. Minister Kyofatogabye said Gen Museveni was very saddened with the death of Nadduli’s son and that he was concerned about the manner in which he died, especially with the opposition attributing circumstances leading to his death to his arrest, detention and alleged torture by state operatives.

Gen Museveni has since ordered an investigation into the death of Jakana Nadduli, with the view of finding out what really killed his former minister’s son. At the end of the probe, Gen Museveni expects a postmortem examination report clearly detailing what ended Nadduli’s life. A team of pathologists at the Mulago National Referral Hospital is said to be already undertaking this task and are expected to make their report public before the end of this week.

The president has also reportedly assigned a team to probe allegations that Jakana Nadduli was tortured during his arrest and during his detention that went beyond the mandatory 48 hours. The president, who has previously gone on national television and radio stations to condemn torture as a way of forcing confessions from suspects is expected to officially announce details from the security and medical probes in one of his addresses or via an online statements as he has previously done  on various issues of such nature as part of efforts to clean his government’s image of ‘human rights violations’ allegations.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Dr Kizza Besigye has claimed that Jakana Nadduli’s death is connected to his arrest, detention and alleged torture by Museveni state security operatives. (See Details Here).

You can also read stories and watch videos of the chaos that happened at Jakana Nadduli’s burial as angry mourners beat up an NRM activist like a chicken thief, and as former minister Abdul Nadduli was ‘evacuated’ and carried away from danger amidst the chaos during which plastic chairs and other objects were thrown around HERE and THERE.