NSANGI, UGANDA — Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Julius Ahimbisibwe, formerly the Commander of the Jinja Road Police Division in Kampala, has been found dead in a septic tank at his residence in Nakitokolo, Nsangi, Wakiso District. The death is being treated as a suspected suicide.
His body was reportedly discovered in the early hours of Easter Monday. According to an initial report filed at Nsangi Police Station, the deceased was found “wrapped with a red rope on the head and neck.”
Ahimbisibwe had been under suspension since March 2024 following allegations of shooting and injuring his ex-wife during a domestic dispute at their Masaka Road home. Sources indicate he had been seeking redeployment without success since his suspension.
The police report states that Abdul Ziwa, who was with the deceased’s wife, alerted the authorities at approximately 2:00 AM about the discovery of the body in the septic tank. “Police officers responded to the scene and retrieved the body. An investigation has been launched to determine whether the death was a suicide,” the report detailed.
Attempts to obtain a comment from Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango were unsuccessful by the time of publication. However, sources close to the deceased suggest he had been struggling with significant personal and professional challenges.
“Lately, he has been calling one of my friends, a former colleague from Jinja Road, for financial support. Apparently, he has been struggling with alcoholism and depression, which possibly contributed to his suicide,” a close friend within the police force revealed.
Ahimbisibwe’s death contributes to a growing number of reported suicides among police officers in recent years, raising concerns within the force and among mental health professionals.
Psychologist Edward Bantu, who previously led a team assessing the mental well-being of police officers before the Covid-19 lockdown, emphasized the critical need for robust support systems.
“The men in uniform, like any other human beings, have problems, and oftentimes they have no person to share with,” he stated.
Bantu advocated for institutional measures to provide emotional outlets for officers, suggesting, “There is a need to ensure that regular talk sessions are held where police officers can share their challenges, and police leadership must provide means of handling the dilemmas they express.”
Despite initial reports suggesting suicide, some officers and observers harbor suspicions of foul play. Sources commented, “Cases of murder and bodies being dumped in septic tanks are common in this country.”
Uganda has seen several high-profile cases involving bodies found in septic tanks over the past decade. In September 2024, the remains of Esther Mulelenge, who had been missing for two years in Njeru Municipality, were discovered in a septic tank.
In February 2022, two bodies, including that of Patrick Turyasingura, were found in a septic tank at the residence of Charles and Naome Tumwine in Kabowa.
In 2021, 63-year-old Francis Onebe was arrested and charged with the murder of his wife, Mary Immaculate Aiso Onebe, whose body was allegedly dumped in their home septic tank in Muyonyo. His trial at the High Court is nearing conclusion while he remains on remand at Luzira Prison.
Furthermore, in a landmark 2015 ruling, the Court of Appeal upheld a death sentence against businessman Tom Nkurungira, also known as Tonku, for the murder of his ex-girlfriend Brenda Karamuzi, whose body was discovered in a septic tank in 2011.
“The evidence adduced by the prosecution places Nkurungira squarely at the scene of crime,” ruled Justice Rugadya Atwooki.
