Police Commander Found Dead in Septic Tank
The deceased, who had been suspended while facing investigation into shooting and injuring his ex-wife in a domestic incident at his Masaka Road home last year, had been unsuccessfully seeking redeployment.
Senior Superintendent of Police Julius Ahimbisibwe, the former Commander of the Jinja Road Police Division in Kampala, has been found dead in a septic tank at his home in Nakitokolo, Nsangi in Wakiso District in a suspected suicide.
His body, reportedly discovered in the early hours of Easter Monday, was “wrapped with a red rope on the head and neck,” according to an initial report filed at Nsangi Police Station. The deceased had been under suspension since March 2024, after allegedly shooting and injuring his ex-wife in a domestic dispute at their Masaka Road home. Since then, he had reportedly been seeking redeployment but without success.
According to the police report, Abdul Ziwa, who was with the deceased’s wife, alerted the station at around 2:00 AM about the body found in the septic tank. “Police officers responded to the scene and retrieved the body. An investigation has been launched to determine whether the death was a suicide,” the report said.
Efforts to reach Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango for comment were unsuccessful by press time. However, sources close to the deceased suggest he had been grappling with personal and professional challenges. “Lately, he has been calling one of my friends, a former colleague from Jinja Road, for financial support. Apparently, he has been struggling with alcoholism and depression, which possibly contributed to his suicide,” a close friend in the police said.
Ahimbisibwe’s death adds to the growing number of police officers who have died by suicide in recent years, sparking concern within the force and among mental health professionals. Psychologist Edward Bantu, who previously led a team assessing the mental well-being of police officers before the Covid-19 lockdown, emphasized the importance of support systems. “The men in uniform, like any other human beings, have problems, and oftentimes they have no person to share with,” he said.
Bantu called for institutional efforts to provide emotional outlets for officers. “There is a need to ensure that regular talk sessions are held where police officers can share their challenges, and police leadership must provide means of handling the dilemmas they express.” Despite initial reports indicating suicide, some officers and observers suspect foul play. Sources noted, “Cases of murder and bodies being dumped in septic tanks are common in this country.”
Uganda has witnessed several high-profile septic tank murder cases over the past decade. In September 2024, the body of Esther Mulelenge, who had been missing for two years in Njeru Municipality, was found in a septic tank. In February 2022, two bodies—including that of Patrick Turyasingura—were discovered in a septic tank at the home of Charles and Naome Tumwine in Kabowa.
In 2021, 63-year-old Francis Onebe was arrested on charges of murdering his wife, Mary Immaculate Aiso Onebe, and dumping her body in their home septic tank in Muyonyo. He remains on remand at Luzira Prison as his trial nears conclusion at the High Court.
Earlier, in a 2015 landmark ruling, the Court of Appeal upheld a death sentence against businessman Tom Nkurungira alias Tonku for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Brenda Karamuzi, whose body was discovered in a septic tank in 2011. “The evidence adduced by the prosecution places Nkurungira squarely at the scene of crime,” ruled Justice Rugadya Atwooki.
