Betty Katushbe was pronounced dead on arrival at Mulago Hospital on Tuesday evening this week where she was rushed by well-wishers who picked her up from the Kampala Central Police Station where she had been dumped by men who had allegedly tortured her.
Katushabe was a 43 year old business-woman who had retired from her career job as a banker at Centenary Bank in January this year. She started a merchandise shop in Kasese district, a business she juggled with selling cars. Little did she know that two years into the trade, she would end up being brutally murdered.
On the weekend before she died, Betty had visited her friend Agasha Ann, a long time colleague at the Centenary Bank who told NTV that a distressed Betty called her on Tuesday saying she had been “arrested and detained” by her creditors.
The creditor was a man called Muhammad Ssebuufu who run a car bond called SOANA Investments limited.
In September 2015, Betty had undertaken to purchase a Toyota Premio car from this bond at 21 million shillings, by the time of her alleged kidnap, Betty had a pending balance of 9 million shillings. It was her failure to pay this balance that caused Ssebuufu to allegedly kidnap and torture her.
NTV has also seen a letter from Katushabe's lawyers who accuse Sebuwufu of being an abettor in the kidnap and torture and the police of abidicating its role. In that letter the law firm also lashes out at Ssebuwufu’s security for beating up their colleague, Amon Twesigye.
Ssebuwufu is no stranger to controversy, in April last year, he was arrested briefly and released by Police over possession of an illegal fire-arm. In that case, his colleagues had alleged that Ssebuwufu and his security had tortured them.
Uganda records high numbers of torture each year. In the last three years alone, there have been 897 different cases of torture. In 2014, 39 cases of torture in Kampala were lodged with the Uganda Human Rights Commission and in 5 of those, people had been killed as a result of the torture.
Source://ntv.co.ug