KAMPALA: The police have failed to retrieve a body of a man who died at the home of former Labour minister Mwesigwa Rukutana two weeks ago.
The deceased and his colleague were digging a Shaduf (a hand operated device for lifting water) at the home of Mr Rukutana when the walls caved in, burying him.
Daily Post has established that since the incident occurred on April 22, area residents have been restricted from accessing Mr Rukutana’s home that is heavily guarded.
Sources at Buziga Police Station, where the case was reported, told this publication that the Shaduf of 120 feet was too deep for police to retrieve the body.
“For the body to be retrieved, police fire brigade must first demolish the home of Rukutana,” the source said.
The Shaduf was being dug in one of Mr Rukutana’s three homes that are adjacent to each other.
The source added that because there is high possibility of not retrieving the body, the lawyers of Rukutana have engaged the family members of the deceased on possible negotiations, including allowing Mr Rukutana to bury their son.
Police speak out
Last week, Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said they were still working hard to retrieve the body.
“Police at Kabalagala working with Fire Prevention and Rescue services responded to an incident on April 22. It is alleged that while Mathias Kwesigwa was digging a Shaduf at the home of Mwesigwa Rukutana, the soil collapsed, covering him. The team has been at the scene since then and efforts are still on to retrieve the body which is believed to be 125ft under,” he said.
By press time, efforts to reach Mr Rukutana were futile.
Past rescue incidences
In 2020, a total of 269 rescue emergencies were handled compared to 249 cases in 2019, according to the police crime report.
Actual calls handled were 210, calls handled before arrival of the brigade were 55 and false calls responded to were four.
Most of the rescues were carried out in pits followed by road accidents and valley dams/fish ponds.
In July 2019 in Buikwe District, two men who were digging a pit latrine died after pile of soil collapsed and buried them following a downpour.
