The mystery surrounding the June 2021 shooting of former Works Minister Gen. Katumba Wamala has resurfaced after exiled UPDF senior officer Herbert Matanda Mabonga made fresh allegations about the people he claims were behind the attack.
Speaking during an interview with Comrade Mordecai Murrisa on Mordecai Murrisa Live, Mabonga alleged that the shooting was an inside operation intended to eliminate Gen. Katumba. He claimed that the attack had deeper motives beyond what the public was initially told.
Mabonga further alleged that Katumba’s influence and respected position within the military had made him uncomfortable to certain powerful individuals. He suggested that the General was viewed as a possible obstacle to the reported succession plans involving Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba.
In one of his most serious claims, Mabonga alleged that members of the Special Forces Command (SFC) were assigned to carry out the operation. He also questioned the account that linked the attack to ADF rebels, suggesting that the public had not been told the full story. These allegations have not been independently verified.
The June 1, 2021 attack happened along Kisota Road in Kisaasi, Kampala, when armed men riding motorcycles opened fire on Katumba’s vehicle. Although the General survived with serious injuries, his daughter, Brenda Nantongo, and his driver, Haruna Kayondo, lost their lives.
Mabonga also made claims about the late former Inspector General of Police, Gen. Paul Lokech, alleging that he had tried to investigate the shooting and identify those responsible. He suggested that Lokech’s efforts may have put him at risk before his death in August 2021. However, authorities attributed Lokech’s death to a blood clot, and no established evidence links it to the Katumba investigation.
The exiled officer also alleged that some commandos who supposedly failed to execute the operation were later killed. The claims, if supported by credible evidence, would raise serious questions about the conduct of security personnel and accountability within the country’s security institutions.
Mabonga’s statements have reopened public discussion about the unanswered questions surrounding the 2021 attack, including who planned it and whether everyone involved was identified. However, his allegations remain unproven, and the specific claims require independent investigation and responses from the relevant authorities.
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