Who is Ichuli? Profile of the fallen social commentator

According to the Police, he was gunned down at 9:20pm, give or take, in Kyanja Central Zone, Nakawa Division in Kampala.

The assailants are yet to be identified.

Born Ibrahim Tusubira, the social commentator was headed home, according to reports.

He was travelling in his motor vehicle, registered under number UBK 213D, with his driver, Mathias Waswa, police said.

Police said the killers used a submachine gun(SMG). The driver survived the attack.

Reports indicate that the car he was travelling in – a Toyota Hiace, aka Drone, was gifted to him by businessman Hamis Kiggundu in July 2021.

Through his video content and appearances on other media platforms, including mainstream TV shows, Ichuli dabbled in controversial topics that endeared him to some and annoyed others.

He talked about politics, the entertainment industry, and social issues, giving takes on some of the most powerful individuals in all the said sectors.

That's why some like the B.B.C. presenter Alan Kasujja believed it's hard to tell who could have engineered his death.

"It wasn’t unexpected. Too many dangerous enemies," Kasujja tweeted Saturday night.

"Any of them could have green lit [sic] him. Lethal crosshairs."

To understand how influential he was, you've to look at people that paid tribute to him.

They included the Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among, her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa, and Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Operations Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Music Promoter Balaam Barugahara, who is Gen. Kainerugaba's associate, said the former Land Forces commander has contributed toward burial expenses.

Isma Olaxes Ichuli, who returned to Uganda in 2015 after spending close to 10 years in Sweden, had been the President of the Uganda Bloggers Association since 2021.

He left Sweden where he was undertaking manual labour because he said he had failed to find ‘meaningful’ work for his age. He had been there since 2005.

He started blogging in 2014, before returning in 2015.

Lawyer Male Mabirizi said he grew up with Ichuli in Katwe, Mukono district.

He is survived by no wife and kids. His birth date wasn’t clear, but some reports put it in the ‘70s.

He will be buried on Sunday, May 5 in Katwe Village in Mukono district.