When Fredrick Namara Karuhanga was left for dead along the shores of Mbeya Island in Mukono District in 2023, few imagined that his fight for survival would one day turn into a fight against the very justice system he had sought protection from.
Namara, who was brutally assaulted by a gang allegedly commanded by Major Mark Wanyama, survived only after marine soldiers intervened and rushed him for emergency medical care.
He had been beaten unconscious and stripped of his property. For years, he struggled to recover from life-threatening injuries.
Believing he had narrowly escaped death, Namara opened a criminal case seeking justice for attempted murder, aggravated robbery, and assault.
The case, now under Court File 1324/2024, was meant to hold his alleged attackers accountable.
Instead, in a dramatic twist that stunned residents of Mukono, Namara was arrested last month and added to a separate charge sheet accusing a group of youths of damaging property belonging to Major Wanyama on Mbeya Island.
Police records show that the property destruction case was initially registered under File No. CRB 442/2023 and was headed by Juma Mukwana and others.
Namara was neither listed among the suspects nor recorded a statement in that file. The case file had reportedly been sanctioned twice before his sudden inclusion.
Namara’s lawyers now argue that his arrest was irregular and legally unsound. They allege that police may have acted under pressure, describing the move as an attempt to neutralize his pursuit of justice.
Claims that he had been “in hiding,” they contend, are part of a broader effort to intimidate him into abandoning his complaint against Wanyama’s camp.
Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala confirmed that Namara was indeed arrested but released on police bond, since it is his constitutional right.
She further noted that the case file has been forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions-ODPP for legal guidance.
The ODPP is now at the center of the matter. Namara has formally petitioned the ODPP to review what he calls an unlawful addition to the charge sheet. By press time, the office had yet to communicate about the progress of the review.
Behind the criminal allegations lies a protracted land dispute over seven acres described as Kyaggwe Block 494, Plot 9, on Mbeya Island.
The land was purchased on November 6, 2019, by businessman Jackson Twinamasiko from Francis Tyaba, a U.S.-based owner who had granted power of attorney to Joyce Lutaaya.
Documents indicate the purchase price was 70 million shillings. However, Lutaaya is said to have subsequently sold the same land to Major Wanyama, creating overlapping claims of ownership.
Twinamasiko petitioned both the Uganda People’s Defence Forces and the President, alleging forceful occupation by Wanyama and armed soldiers.
Investigations by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence and the Special Investigations Bureau reportedly found Wanyama and other soldiers culpable. The matter is currently under review by the UPDF Human Rights Department.
An interim court order restrained interference with the land pending final determination of the suit. On October 21, 2022, the Office of the Inspector General of Police directed enforcement of that order. After reported resistance, it was eventually implemented in January 2024.
The civil case is now before Justice Mary Kisakye Kaitesi and is expected back in court in March.
Residents of Mbeya Island describe an atmosphere marked by tension and intimidation. Some allege that armed personnel were deployed in what began as a civilian land dispute. Others claim mediation efforts were frustrated and court orders were resisted.
The contested land remains abandoned. But the legal and human consequences of the dispute continue to reverberate.
Major Wanyama has reportedly sponsored media reports alleging that Namara orchestrated the demolition of his house under the direction of businessman Twinamasiko. Yet available police documentation does not place Namara among the original suspects in the destruction case.
For Namara, the ordeal has been deeply traumatic. He survived a near-fatal assault, endured months of medical recovery, and is now confronting criminal charges he insists are unrelated to him.
The shift from complainant to accused has fueled suspicions within sections of the community that the justice process may have been weaponized.
The Search for Accountability
With the ODPP reviewing the contested charge sheet, the UPDF Human Rights Department examining findings from military intelligence bodies, and the civil land case returning to court next month, the Mbeya Island dispute is fast becoming a test case for institutional accountability.
What began as a seven-acre land transaction worth 70 million shillings has spiraled into allegations of torture, contested arrests, attempted murder claims, stalled mediation, and accusations of witness intimidation.
For Fredrick Namara Karuhanga, however, the matter is far more personal than legal precedent. It is about survival, dignity, and the right to seek justice without fear of retaliation.
As he awaits the ODPP’s decision, one question hangs heavily over Mbeya Island: can a man who says he was left for dead find justice in a system he now fears may have turned against him?
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