On June 30, unknown assailants killed 26-year-old Joan Nabakiibi, a mobile money agent, on Victoria Road in Masaka City.

The assailants made away with the deceased’s handbag containing a mobile phone and Shs3.3 million cash.
Nabakiibi’s body was discovered a week later in a trench at the roadside in Ssaza, Masaka City.

At the time, police did not know who committed the crime but continued to carry out investigations.
Safinah Nalugo, 38, a close friend to the deceased, was arrested a few days later in connection with the crime.

Barely four months later, another suspect Erisa Kabiita, 21, was on Tuesday arrested.
According to police, Kabiita confessed to killing Nabakiibi.

Mr Muhammad Nsubuga, the southern regional police spokesperson, said they arrested Kabiita by tracking the mobile phone of the deceased which was still in use.

“Sometimes investigations take longer than anticipated and that is why we kept tracking the mobile phone of the deceased. Good enough, we found it with a man in Ssaza Village, who claimed to have bought it from Kabiita. So, it is that man who helped our detectives to trace Kabiita who is also a resident of the same village [Ssaza],” he said.
Mr Nsubuga said Kabiita masterminded the killing of Nabakiibi.

“He [Kabiita] has confessed to have killed the mobile money operator with the help of Nalugo. Since Nalugo was her good  friend, she provided all the information about her movements and their motive was to get money from the deceased,” he added.

Police plan to prefer charges of murder and aggravated robbery against Kabiita.
He said the man who helped police arrest Kabiita, whose name he declined to mention, will appear as a State witness in court.

“Nalugo is already on remand over murder and Kabiita will also be arraigned in court soon,” Mr Nsubuga said.
The deceased left behind two children aged two and four.

Ms Imelda   Nanyanzi, the deceased’s mother, said Nabakibi was last seen on June 30 as she left home.
Ms Nanyanzi said she was shocked to learn that her daughter’s body had been recovered from a trench in the neighbourhood.

“I felt like collapsing. It was a great shock and up to now that gruesome incident is still fresh in my memory,” she said.

Prior to her death, Ms Nanyanzi said her daughter had complained of unknown men trailing her from work to Ssaza Trading Centre on a boda boda.

Mr Patrick Kaggwa, a resident of Ssaza Village, said the attackers could have trailed Nabakiibi from her kiosk before killing her at a dark spot.

He blames the incident on limited police patrols.
“The security situation has not improved in our area even though Nabakiibi was murdered in such a gruesome manner,” he added.