The brutal murder of Kampala businessman Anthony Mutinisa, proprietor of Mutinisa Motors Uganda, has taken another twist after the prime suspect, his own security guard Hillary Byaruhanga, confessed to the crime while giving a bizarre account that investigators have dismissed as contradictory and uncoordinated.
Mutinisa was gunned down on Sunday evening at his offices on Martyrs Way in Ntinda.
Police identified Byaruhanga, a guard attached to Don World Security Limited, as the prime suspect. The businessman was shot as he tried to escape into a bathroom during what appeared to have been a scuffle inside his office, with curtains ripped apart and signs of struggle.
Byaruhanga fled with an unspecified sum of money and Mutinisa’s latest Toyota Land Cruiser V8 SUV, later abandoning the vehicle in Kambuga, Kanungu District.
Following a manhunt, he was arrested on Monday evening in Kihihi, Kanungu, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where security suspected he was attempting to cross.
He was captured alongside Mark Akampa, a childhood friend from Rukungiri who was lured into meeting him for drinks on the day of his escape.
The two were transferred to Kampala and are being held at Kira Road Police Station, though investigators are now considering releasing Akampa after establishing that he may have been an unwitting companion.
During interrogation, Byaruhanga admitted to killing his boss but claimed he acted under duress.
He alleged that a numberless double cabin pickup carrying unidentified men intercepted him on the day of the murder, tied a grenade to his body, and threatened to detonate it remotely if he did not kill Mutinisa.
He insisted that he pulled the trigger to save his own life and that his supposed captors later escorted him up to Masaka before letting him continue alone in the stolen Land Cruiser. He further alleged that the bag of money stolen from Mutinisa’s office was later delivered to contacts in DRC.
But investigators say his confession is riddled with contradictions. CCTV footage from the neighbourhood captured Byaruhanga moving alone from the crime scene, returning later with a ladder, and climbing into the ceiling to retrieve and tamper with recordings. No evidence has been found of the alleged numberless pickup truck either at the Ntinda offices or along the Masaka route. Instead, cameras showed him driving alone in the Land Cruiser. Police sources say the inconsistencies in his confession suggest he may be deliberately misleading investigators.
Meanwhile, a deeper probe into his past paints him as far from an ordinary guard.
Though he hails from Rukungiri, Byaruhanga once lived in DRC where authorities believe he may have received military training. His precision in killing Mutinisa with a single shot has been described as the work of a trained marksman.
Years ago, he was found in possession of a military uniform and bullet cartridge in Rukungiri, and he previously served time in Luzira Prison. He bears deep scars on his head which he once claimed were obtained during “training.” Colleagues say he boasted of having driven vehicles as far as South Africa, though he never revealed under what circumstances.
Investigators are now exploring whether he could be part of a wider criminal network, given that months earlier one of Mutinisa’s new SUVs was stolen and smuggled into DRC. His recruitment into Don World Security has also come under scrutiny, with findings that he bypassed the usual requirement of presenting valid Local Council documents.
As he remains in custody making uncoordinated confessions, police continue to piece together the true motive and circumstances of the killing. The shocking betrayal has reignited debate over the integrity of Uganda’s private security industry and the dangers posed when inadequately vetted individuals are entrusted with lives and property.
