Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) director Major Tom Magambo has said he will not take a break from investigations involving former Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among to mourn his Timothy Muganzi Magambo.
Muganzi, 18, a first-year business management and finance student at the University at Albany in the United States, reportedly drowned in New York last week while swimming with friends from his study group.
Addressing mourners during the requiem mass at Our Lady of Africa Catholic church in Mbuya on Tuesday, Magambo said several government officials, including deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, principal judge Jane Frances Abodo and Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, had advised him to take time off to focus on his grief and spend time with his family.
Magambo, however, said the urge to fight “political indiscipline”, an assignment he said he was given by President Yoweri Museveni, is way bigger than anything else.
Magambo is leading a joint investigation involving senior detectives from CID, with support from operatives of the Special Forces Command (SFC) and Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS) to investigate several government officials, including Among over, allegations of illicit enrichment, corruption, and money laundering. Several of Among’s properties, including her luxury cars and plush homes, have been seized or raided by investigators combing for evidence.
Calling their ‘generational war’ and comparing it to the 1980-1986 Luweero bush war that brought in the current government into power, Magambo thanked those who reached out to him during the trying times, but said the country has to be salvaged and defended even amidst mourning.
“How could I not stay involved in the work? This week has been extremely dangerous for me. You know we have political indiscipline in this country, and I had a task I was supposed to carry out. As I was doing it, my son also died. Now, what do you do? Do you tell your troops to cry and run away as their commander? I had to be the true son of Rwabudongo. I want to assure you that we have delivered on the President’s task,” Magambo said.
Magambo, rose through the ranks of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO) before being appointed to head CID by President Museveni.
In his earlier speech, Otafiire, who described life as fragile and beyond human control, urged Magambo to take time off work and mourn his son.
“The reality of life is eternal and indefinite. So my friend Tom, don’t cling to your grief. Let Timothy float. Let him go. I feel for you. I feel your grief, and I understand what you and your wife are going through. It’s a burning sensation, but relax and take a break from work. Yes, you must allow yourself time to cry. Whatever happens, however strong you are, you need time to cry; otherwise, you risk a heart attack. Let Timothy flow through your blood and veins, and depart through your mind,” Otafiire said.
Otafiire’s advice echoed what Abodo had said. She recalled an urgent conversation with Magambo on the fateful day he told her he had lost his son. She said even in that trying time, Magambo was still updating her on the progress of ongoing investigations on corruption scandals.
“We spoke around 9 p.m, when he told me he had lost his son. It hit me hard, but he said, ‘It’s okay, that’s life. Let’s continue talking about the assignment the President gave me.’ I told him we shouldn’t talk about work, but he said, ‘Museveni gave me the work, and I have to do it.’ Tom is a rare person. Who else works like that after losing a child?” Abodo said.
Tayebwa applauded Magambo for his rare strength of character. He said that when he gathered the courage to call Magambo and confirm the news of his son’s death, Magambo was still on duty, working through a personal tragedy. Tayebwa said the most painful thing in life is a parent burying their own child, a deeply painful experience that no one should ever have to face.
Speaking about his son’s death, Magambo said Muganzi got into difficulty in the middle of the water and spent about seven minutes underwater and even when the doctors tried to save him, his brain was already damaged.
The requiem mass was attended by several government officials, legislators, senior security officials, retired generals, and religious leaders, among others. The service was led by Fr. James Patrick Jjumba, the parish priest, and Rev. Fr. Agapitus Hector Businge of Hoima Catholic Diocese.
Muganzi is set to be buried at the ancestral home in Kisarabwire village, Masindi, tomorrow, Thursday.
I thought it was wise advice to take time away to mourn the loss of your son. I am struggling to understand how you are able to remain focused on this investigation at such a deeply personal moment. One would imagine that, in a time of such profound loss, humanity, grief, and the importance of family would naturally take precedence over everything else. Was he your adopted son, or do you doubt that he is your biological son?