Lt Godfrey Musisi is no stranger in security circles. The controversial soldier is a former operative of Internal Security Organisation (ISO) and has been in and out of jail several times on charges such as treason, armed robbery and attempted murder.
The latest is his link to the March 17 assassination of Andrew Felix Kaweesi, the former police spokesperson. Somehow, Musisi has always found a way of overcoming the charges.
Nicknamed ‘assassin’, a tag he earned for reportedly trying to kill President Museveni in 2004, police arrested Musisi last Friday, March 24, as part of a widening murder investigation. Musisi was picked from his residence in Namugongo suburb and is being detained at an undisclosed location.
A source attached to the probe claimed that phone print-outs obtained by investigators showed that Musisi talked to one of the suspects under custody, days to the murder of Kaweesi. Like Musisi, the suspect is a former ISO operative.
At this point, sources said, it is too early to conclude that Musisi had a hand in the killing because it is a routine measure within security agencies to arrest suspects-turned-informers.
THE ASSASSIN
On June 6, 2004, the Presidential Guard Brigade [Now Special Forces Command] arrested Musisi at Nile hotel gardens [Now Serena hotel] for allegedly crossing their ring with a loaded pistol. It was the eve of the Comesa Heads of State meeting there and President Museveni was due to address the media.
In September 2005, after more than a year in detention, Musisi was arraigned before the First Division Court Martial and charged for attempting for assassinate the president.
In his defense, Musisi claimed the charges were a fabrication fueled by a then cold war between the late Brig Noble Mayombo, then head of the Chieftaincy for Military Intelligence (CMI), and ISO boss Brig Elly Kayanja.
Indeed, during the trial, Kayanja defended Musisi and told court that the accused never attempted to assassinate Museveni.
“I deployed Musisi to the complex a day after the president went there. On the day of the alleged assassination, Musisi was not at the alleged scene of crime,” he testified.
In 2009, Musisi was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison. However, President Museveni pardoned him after only a year, and upon his release, he was redeployed in ISO.
JAILBIRD
Since then, Musisi has been in and out of jail numerous times. In 2013, he was arrested for allegedly planting a bomb at a neighbour’s residence after a bitter quarrel. He was released after investigators found no evidence.
In May last year, police arrested Musisi for hiding a pistol magazine. Before Musisi, police arrested his former worker Cluster Mutebi with a pistol. Mutebi claimed his boss, Musisi, had the magazine for the pistol. Musisi claimed he was tortured while in detention and after a while he was released without any charge.
Afterwards, Musisi told The Observer that there were some malicious people in security circles who are out to witch-hunt him.
ekiggundu@observer.ug
