Tom Magambo refuses to take break from Among investigation despite son’s death; recounts intense call with Museveni 

Tom Magambo Rwabudongo, the Director of the Uganda Police’s Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) said Tuesday that he refused to step back from the ongoing corruption investigations against Speaker of Parliament, Anita Annet Among, despite losing his eldest son.

Magambo is one of the focal people in the investigation that has been ongoing for nearly two weeks now.

He was, according to media reports, ordered by President Yoweri Museveni to “drop everything else” to focus on the probe along with other heads of security organs.

On May 16th, however, tragedy hit when his 18 year old son, Timothy Muganzi Magambo drowned and died while out swimming with his friends near Shelter Island on Long Island in New York. 

This morning, during a requiem mass at Mbuya Catholic Parish, Magambo said he had carried on with the investigation while still mourning.

He also rejected calls from some of the speakers during the mass, to take a break and grieve his son. 

One of the speakers, Gen Kahinda Otafiire, the outgoing Minister of Internal Affairs had pleaded with Magambo to take a break from work. 

He said, “I understand what you are going through, it is a burning sensation. But relax and stop working man! You must have time to cry. Whatever happens and however strong you are, you must have time to cry, otherwise you will die of a heart attack.”

Magambo, in response however, said that he considered his task, assigned to him by the president more important than mourning.

He said he felt a sense of responsibility to rid Uganda of “political indiscipline” in the same way that Gen Otafiire and his colleagues took up arms in the 1980s to fight for the liberation of Uganda.

“I know that Afande Otafiire has told me to mourn, but this is our Luwero bush war. We must also fight our generational war, the way you spent all that time in the bush and many of your colleagues died,” he said.

“In the same way, my colleagues and I are going to defend this country. While you see me mourning, the question is, what is bigger? Should we leave this country to disintegrate?”

On the day that Timothy died, Magambo recalled that had been very busy at work with the investigation.

“We had some political indiscipline, and so I happened to have had a task to do. As I was doing it, my son passed away. Now what do you do? Do you tell your troops to cry and run away as a commander? My deputy, Afande Chelimo took over the task while I cried privately.”

The next morning, the Chief of Defense Forces called him for updates,  which he provided and later informed him about his son’s passing.

After about 30 minutes, Magambo says he got a call from President Yoweri Museveni consolling him.

He, however, regrets how he spoke back to the head of state

“He was like a father, asking me so many questions. This was the first time I spoke to him in an unbothered way. He asked what he could do for me and I told him ‘I don’t know.’ He called again 20 minutes later and asked again and I told him, ‘I don't know.’ I now want to apologise to him for that response because I was emotional. But he promised that he would take care of everything.”

Magambo also narrated the circumstances of his son’s death, saying he did not blame it on negligence by anyone.

Reports from US media indicated that Timothy was among seven people swimming from Wades Beach to Shell Beach across a channel when he became separated from the group. 

Authorities said he later turned back towards Wades Beach before his friends realised he was missing and alerted police.

He was later found floating face down several hundred yards from where he was last seen. 

Bystanders retrieved him from the water and attempted emergency rescue efforts before he was rushed to South Shore University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead from injuries linked to drowning. 

Magambo said his son’s friends tried their best to save him in vain.

“They went out for an adventure; they had grown up together and this was not their first time going swimming. But I think this time he had  a problem in the middle of the water. His friends tried to go back to where he was; they did their best, but after seven minutes underwater the brain and other organs were gone although the heart was still beating.”

Timothy’s body will be transported to Kisarabwire village in Masindi Municipality for a vigil on Wednesday at the family home.

Burial will take place on Thursday at 2pm in Kisarabwire, about two kilometres from Masindi Municipality.