Ivan Wabwire, the Police Officer who shot and killed Indian moneylender, Uttam Bhandari at Rajja Chambers in Kampala, has been arrested.
Wabwire had gone to Uttam’s microfinance known as TSF Financial Services to request for information about his loan when he opened fire at Uttam, killing him instantly.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, said a “joint team of security traced the suspect (Wabwire) to Busia district.”
He added: “On 14 May 23 at around 0700 hours, Wabwire Ivan was arrested in Busia Municipality at Customs by a joint team commanded by the DPC Busia SP Didas Byaruhanga.”
Security forces in Busia were reinforced by the Police’s Flying Squad Unit in the hunt for Wabwire.
After shooting Uttam on May 12, Wabwire returned to his post at Kampala Central Police Station (CPS) where he abandoned the killer AK 47 gun.
He then fled to an unknown destination until Sunday morning when he was apprehended.
Wabwire, 30, is currently detained at CPS Busia pending transfer to CPS Kampala.
“We want to thank the officers who worked for the last 42 hours to ensure that Wabwire is arrested,” said Onyango.
President Museveni has since demanded answers about Uttam’s murder, wondering how an off- duty Policeman was able to access a gun.
The president further asked: “Did he walk away from his guard post without permission with a gun to commit crime? How are guns stored in the Police? Is there no security at the site where the victim was? Why did that local security allow an armed person into the building who had no guard business there? Then, there is the question of the mental state of this Policeman. Did he have a history of mental instability? If he had, why hadn’t the Police leadership noticed and acted appropriately?”
Museveni said the answers to these questions “may help us to plug the gaps in the security system.”
Police have since confirmed that Wabwire was mentally unstable.
In a statement on Saturday, Police said “due to the suspect’s medical conditions, Police management at CPS Kampala had taken a decision about 6 years ago NOT TO ARM the suspect with a gun and they have been deploying him in beats that don’t require him to be armed.”
Police further said Wabwire’s most recent deployment was at CCTV monitoring center in Naguru.
Due to limited accommodation, Wabwire was sharing a house with a fellow police officer.
However, on May 12, 2023 Wabwire’s housemate had worked at night, and didn’t return the gun to the armory.
The development underscores police’s poor management of arms.
It also exposes the challenges faced by police personnel including mental illness.
Instead, said police, “Wabwire’s housemate went with the gun to their house and shortly, he got a call that his child was sick, he rushed to go and check on the child, leaving the gun behind.”
Wabwire reportedly took advantage of the situation.
Police said Wabwire “got the gun and went and misused it by shooting Uttam.”
The law enforcement body said Wabwire’s “roommate who signed for the gun, PC Mulambo Steven, has been arrested and detained at Kireka.”
