Police trace Matovu’s last hours from Rujumbura bar to death scene

Kampala, Uganda | URN | The reconstruction of the murder of Afrigo Band leader Moses Matovu on Saturday started with a heavy deployment of joint military and police forces that saw most roads in Kibuli closed.

A joint team comprising the Flying Squad, UPDF and Police cordoned off Kibuli Depot and Market Zone B before detectives began tracing Matovu’s final trail with the two suspects, Vicent Nsamba and lover Rose Tusiime.

The exercise started at Rujumbura Bar in Kibuli, where the deceased Mose Matovu and Rose Tumusiime had spent time on the fateful Wednesday night, before the team was led to Tumusiime’s rented house in Market Zone B and finally to the exact spot near Matovu’s Land Rover Reg. No. UAR 982H on the road where the confrontation turned fatal.

At the scene, Tumusiime, 26, demonstrated how the fight started and how Matovu landed badly on the pavement after allegedly being punched; police detectives took the statements in both writing and through video recordings.

For the second suspect, Vincent Nsamba, 41, also known as Arnold, detectives said the focus was to establish whether he acknowledges having been at the same location and whether he participated in the fight in that area.

A police officer at the scene explained the importance of the reconstruction.  “Scene reconstruction is very important because it helps us to confirm the truth. We bring the suspects back to show us how everything happened step by step from the bar, to the house, to where the fight happened. We can see if their statements match the evidence on the ground, measure distances, and know who did what and where,” an officer said.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Kawala said that the reconstruction has so far been done in two areas, Kibuli and Nansana, to collect detailed evidence. We have brought back the suspects to the scene of the crime to make sure that what we see matches what the suspects have already told us. We collected evidence last evening in Nansana, and we got some exhibits, the same thing we expect from here in Kibuli.

“At the moment we can’t reveal everything, but more communication will be made as further investigations unfold,” Kawala said.

The reconstruction and interrogation are being spearheaded by senior police detectives, including Kampala Metropolitan Police CID Commander Milton Birungi Beigumamu and CID Kampala South Regional Commander Arthur Twiinamatsiko took more than two hours before both suspects were taken back to Natete Police Station, where they remain in custody as investigations continue.

But the residents and local leaders led by  LC1 Chairperson for Kibuli Market zone B, Abdul Nasser Mukasa,  claimed that  Nsamba was not a stranger to the deceased Matovu.

According to Mukasa,  Nsamba had previously worked for Matovu as a casual labourer helping to load Afrigo Band’s musical instruments and public-address equipment, and was known in the area as a humble and reserved man who had trained in kickboxing years earlier in Kisugu, Namuwongo.

Police say Matovu, 77, had earlier attended a farewell event at Sheraton Gardens before proceeding to Rujumbura Bar and later to Tumusiime’s room in the pre-dawn hours of Thursday, 24 September 2026.

It is alleged that Nsamba, said to be Tumusiime’s boyfriend or former partner, arrived at the room, knocked, smashed a window after failing to get a response, and waited outside before confronting the pair as they walked toward the vehicle.

Share on: WhatsApp