Five suspects arrested following the mysterious death of Uganda Christian University (UCU) student at Casablanca bar have been granted police bond.
Trevor James Byandala, a first-year student pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Procurement and Logistics Management at UCU, was found dead on Tuesday, 28 January 2025, after being reported missing for two weeks.
The exact circumstances leading to his death remain unclear.
According to a statement from UCU Guild President Samantha Mwesigye, the student died at Casablanca Bar, the matter was reported to the police on 16 January at 3:00 PM.
Police retrieved Byandala’s body from the bar, conducted a post-mortem examination, and initially buried him in the city cemetery.
His family later reclaimed the body for reburial at their own premises.
As a result, police arrested five workers from the bar including an Eritrean manager and the bar promoter at the University.
These were detained at Mukono Police station; however, this website has learned that at the close of this week they were all released on police bond.
Earlier police had launched an investigation into the circumstances of Byandala’s death, with particular focus on why Casablanca Bar did not notify the university and the delay in reporting the incident to the police.
Another peculiar concern focuses on the non-functioning Closed-circuit television (CCT) cameras in the place where the student died while rest were functioning.
Despite the probe, Casablanca Bar continued to operate, though clients have abandoned the bar since the incident.
Many UCU students used to flock to the place on various days to drink beer, find hookups and also smoke shisha pot.
However, Byandala’s death leaves a number questions unanswered especially to the family and within the university fraternity especially following release of all main suspects on police bond.
This website has learned from our informers at police that suspects emphasized that Byandala came to their bar already drunk on top of using other substances at another bar specifically pointing at ‘The Hive Lounge’.
In response to the incident, the UCU administration urged students to remain vigilant and regularly check on their peers, particularly those residing in the same halls or hostels.
They have also advised students to avoid traveling late at night, stay away from insecure locations, and be cautious of unfamiliar acquaintances.
Casablanca bar-Mukono is owned by Tesfalem Gherahtu Ogbagiorgis, the former worker at the Eritrean Embassy in Uganda. Tesfalem owns the main Casablanca Bar and Restaurant at Kololo.
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