Police say the cause of death of Monica Nabukenya Kibalama, the wife of missing National Unity Platform (NUP) supporter John Bosco Kibalama, remains undetermined following a preliminary post-mortem at City Mortuary.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango told the Monitor that samples from Nabukenya’s body have been sent to the Government Analytical Laboratory for further analysis after the initial autopsy yielded inconclusive results. ‘The death is not yet known despite finishing the post-mortem at the mortuary. Samples have been taken for further examination as we continue with the investigations,’ Mr Onyango said.
‘We have retrieved the home security cameras, but the footage has not yet been reviewed. In the meantime, the family has been handed the body to give their beloved one a decent burial. We are investigating this matter to get to the bottom of it,’ he added. Nabukenya, the wife of Kibalama, who has been missing since June 3, 2019, was found dead in her bathtub by neighbours, who were alerted by her children. The family resides in Seeta Village, Kasangati Town Council, Wakiso District. Nabukenya had just picked up her nine-year-old twins from school for a short holiday as Primary Leaving Examinations (PLE) are in progress. Ms Irene Kabejja, a neighbour, said she spoke with Nabukenya the night before her death, noting that she seemed emotionally stressed.
‘She told me her husband’s side was fighting her over the property of Kibalama, one of her children had a fracture on his arm, and that she was lonely,’ Ms Kabejja recounted. ‘She had security concerns, which is why she bought cameras to monitor her compound. When we were called, Monica was in the bathtub naked and lifeless. We covered her with a small cloth and called the police and the village chairman,’ she added. The village chairperson, Mr Jimmy Kityo, confirmed the incident. ‘She indeed told me she had security concerns after her husband’s disappearance and had purchased cameras.
She was a supportive member of the community, and we shall miss her,’ Mr Kityo said. Nabukenya’s mother, Ms Joyce Mwetise, noted that her daughter had previously reported suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure after her husband went missing, though she appeared healthy during her visits. Kibalama, an accountant with British American Tobacco, was last seen at work on Lumumba Avenue on June 3, 2019. His vehicle, a Toyota Prado, was later found abandoned on Gayaza-Kampala road. Witnesses reported seeing heavily armed men forcibly placing him into a Toyota Hiace van.
Background
Kibalama had recently defected from the NRM to join the People Power movement, which later became NUP headed by Robert Kyagulanyi, alias Bobi Wine.
To date, Kibalama’s family continues to search for him. NUP lists him among 18 members allegedly abducted across Kampala and other parts of Uganda.
In 2023, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja stated in Parliament that Kibalama was in government custody on charges related to murders in Luweero District, but later retracted the statement following opposition questioning.
What NUP says.
Monica and her young children have spent six years searching for their father. She has been vocal in demanding answers, especially from [Prime Minister] Robina Nabbanja, who confirmed Kibalama is in the hands of the regime. It is very painful that these children are now without a mother and their father remains missing,- Robert Kyagulanyi, NUP leader.