Uganda’s Director of Public Prosecutions has said Rose Tumusiime, the woman who was with veteran musician Moses Matovu shortly before he was fatally assaulted, will not be charged over his death.
Senior State Prosecutor Lino Angunzu said on Tuesday that prosecutors had reviewed the case file and determined that Tumusiime was not a suspect. Instead, she is expected to be a key prosecution witness in the murder case against Vincent Arnold Nsamba, who has been charged with killing Matovu.
“We shall not be charging that lady. It appears she is going to be our key witness in the case,” Angunzu told journalists at the DPP’s office in Kampala.
Angunzu said Tumusiime’s appearance alongside Nsamba at the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court on Sept. 28 had contributed to the impression that she was also facing prosecution.
“I think there was an error made when police were taking the key suspect to court; I think they brought her along,” Angunzu said, adding that prosecutors had determined she was not a suspect.
Murder case
Matovu, 77, died on Sept. 24 after sustaining injuries during an early-morning confrontation in Kibuli, Kampala.
Police investigations indicate that Matovu had visited Tumusiime’s residence before the confrontation. Investigators later identified Nsamba, 47, as the main suspect and arrested him in Nansana, Wakiso District. Police also searched his residence and recovered clothing they said he had worn on the day of the incident.
Nsamba was charged with murder before the Makindye Chief Magistrate’s Court on Sept. 28.
Prosecution alleges that he caused Matovu’s death with malice aforethought at Market B Zone in Kibuli Parish, Makindye Division. Because murder is a capital offence, the magistrate’s court did not take a plea on the charge and remanded Nsamba to Luzira Upper Prison until Nov. 3.
Nsamba has reportedly told investigators that he punched Matovu but did not intend to kill him. Any such claim will ultimately have to be tested through the criminal justice process.
Tumusiime could testify
Tumusiime was initially questioned by police following Matovu’s death and was taken with Nsamba to the scene during a reconstruction exercise as investigators sought to establish what happened during the confrontation.
Her decision not to prosecute means she could instead become an important prosecution witness as the state builds its case against Nsamba.
The DPP’s position does not amount to a court acquittal because Tumusiime was never formally charged or tried. It is a prosecutorial decision that she will not face criminal proceedings over Matovu’s death on the evidence currently before prosecutors.
The murder case against Nsamba remains before the courts, with investigations continuing.
Matovu was a founding member of Afrigo Band, formed in 1975, and spent decades as one of the leading figures in Uganda’s music industry. His death at the age of 77 prompted widespread mourning across the country.
