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Kampala — A man accused by police of allegedly leading a criminal gang that has been terrorising parts of the country, Bruce Bukenya one time passed himself off as an army officer, some of his associates said yesterday.
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Bruce Bukenya a.k.a BK was part of the 30 individuals who were paraded before the media on Monday by Inspector General of Police Kale Kayihura, an action which has since been denounced as unlawful by human rights activists and lawyers.
Two of the 30 people had said on Monday that Bukenya hired them to carry out the recent attacks on civilians. Bukenya was not allowed to speak. Later, a person who identified himself as an associate of Bukenya (names withheld) told this newspaper that he has always known him to be an army officer who owns a hand gun (pistol) and an AK47 rifle.
The Army spokesman, Brig Richard Karemire, however, said Mr Bukenya is not one of them.
“We have so many criminal impostors who sometimes pose as security operatives; who sometimes pose as journalists. We must get rid of them from our society. As UPDF we don’t get involved in these things,” he said.
Bukenya, who other sources thought was an intelligence officer in UPDF until his arrest is believed by sources to have one time worked at the New Nana Hostel located on Makerere Kagugube road near Law Development Centre.
However, when Daily Monitor called the known numbers of New Nana Hostel, a lady who picked the phone said she had never heard of such a person and immediately switched off.
Media also visited the hostel premises where another lady at the security desk said she neither knew Bukenya nor has the contact of the owners and managers of the hostel. She declined to say her name.
Instead, she asked our reporter to write down her contacts for the managers to get back to us when they returned. By press time, this had not happened.
A Makerere University graduate who lived at the New Nana Hostel between 2011 and 2014 identified Bukenya as a person who worked at the hostel during the time.
“He used to bully those who brought their girlfriends and boyfriends to sleepover, and if you hadn’t paid a bribe, you would face it rough,” the former student whose identity we cannot reveal for her safety said.
The former student said Bukenya worked at the hostel at least once a week. So why would officials at New Nana Hostel deny any knowledge of him?
Interestingly, Daily Monitor had spoken to a male employee of the hostel who told this newspaper that Bukenya was indeed picked up at the hostel premises by individuals who looked like security personnel.
Sources told media that another guard at the hostel who once served alongside US troops in the Middle East was also picked up by what was believed to be state operatives. He was later released.
Bukenya is said to have served a number of tours in the Middle East and in Afghanistan ( 2008 to 2009 ), both destinations where Ugandans have been performing guard duties at military sites, amongst other functions.
Exclusive photos Daily Monitor has obtained show Bukenya holding an AK47 and communication equipment.
Source: The Monitor
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