I still fear for my life after attempted assassination - Gen Katumba Wamala tells court

• Gen Katumba Wamala told court he still fears for his life after the June 2021 assassination attempt.

• He said his daughter Brenda Nantongo was the first to be shot during the attack.

• The minister said injuries from the shooting continue to affect him.

• Defence lawyers said none of the 18 witnesses has identified their clients at the crime scene.

Minister of Public Service Gen Edward Katumba Wamala on Monday relived the horrifying events of Jane 1st 2021, as he appeared in court to testify against six suspects accused of carrying out the attempt to assassinate him

Gen Wamala has told court that he still fears for his life more than five years after the attack that killed his daughter Brenda Nantongo and his driver Haruna Kayondo.

The Minister was testifying before the International Crimes Division of the High Court in Kampala during the hearing of the murder case linked to the June 1, 2021 attack.

The State prosecution, led by Marion Ben Bella, presented Gen Katumba as the 18th witness in the case.

Narrating the events, the minister told the court that his daughter was the first person to be hit by the attackers during the incident.

“I heard her shout, ‘Jesus!’ and she fell on my lap,” he narrated. “I also realised that my driver was no longer moving the vehicle and I saw his head drop, which meant that he had been shot.”

Gen Katumba said he was also shot in the shoulders during the attack and later required a metallic implant in one of his arms.

He told the court that the injury left him in pain and he had to seek specialised medical treatment after screws used to secure the implant became loose.

The former army commander said the attack changed his lifestyle, forcing him to become less social and less outgoing.

“From then until now, I am still scared for life. I am not as outgoing as I was before,” he told court.

The suspects in the case, Muhammad Kagugube, Kamada Walusimbi, Suleman Kisambira, Abdulla-Aziz Ramadhan Ddunku, Habib Ramadhan Marajan and Mzee Ssewampa, appeared before a panel of four judges led by Winfred Nabisinde, alongside Vincent Waggona, Richard Wabwire and Susan Akalany.

The suspects face charges related to the June 2021 attack in which Gen Katumba survived, while his daughter and driver were killed.

However, the defence team, led by Caleb Alaka, maintains that their clients are innocent.

Defence lawyer Geoffrey Turyamusiima said the evidence presented so far had not linked any of the accused persons to the crime scene.

“We believe this case is moving well for us, because of all the 18 witnesses presented so far, none has been able to identify any clients as having been seen on the crime scene,” he said.