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Documents stolen from Kagame team

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By ENID NINSIIMA  (email the author) 

Posted  Friday, December 30  2011 at  00:00

Unspecified documents belonging to Rwanda’s presidential entourage that had accompanied President Paul Kagame to Uganda for the Christmas holidays were stolen at a tourist lodging facility in Kasese, senior security officials from Rwanda and Uganda confirmed yesterday.

However, by last evening there were still conflicting accounts on the incident. Some security sources yesterday indicated that the stolen documents, which reportedly included some electronics, belonged to President Kagame.

But a senior official speaking from Kigali in a telephone interview said the stolen property belonged to President Kagame. But a senior official speaking from Kigali in a telephone interview said the stolen property belonged to President Kagame’s personal doctor. The official, who asked not to be named, identified Kagame’s physician as Dr Gasakure.

“It could have happened to Dr Gasakure because he does not enjoy the same security detail accorded to the president,” the source explained. He, however, added that the case was reported to the Ugandan authorities by the doctor and that President Kagame’s security team are not involved in pursuing the case.

Three arrested
At least three people were arrested by the police in Kasese on boxing day. The suspects are all employees of Mweya Safari Lodge in Queen Elizabeth National Park where the incident happened. President Kagame and family spent the Christmas holidays in Uganda and were hosted at the lodge.

The Uganda police, however, appeared shy to discuss details of the incident. Police Spokesperson Asuman Mugenyi last evening promised to give details of the incident, but by press time he had not returned our repeated calls.

Kasese District Police Commander Moses Kafeero declined to acknowledge the arrest, but one of the suspects confirmed he was at police and recorded a statement. Daily Monitor has learnt that the case was registered as 59/25/12/11 at Kasese Police Station.

One of the suspects said: “I did not steal but I was there recording a statement on security matters.” The trio were released on Wednesday on police bond, police sources said. “We resolved to release them because there was no complainant after the arrest. Our investigations all doubted how these people could easily beat the presidential security to reach the property,” the police source said.

The source added that ever since President Kagame left on Monday, there was nobody following up the matter. Details of how the theft happened were also scanty but security sources in Rwanda said someone must have gained access to Dr. Gasakure’s room and stolen the property.

The motive of the theft has also not been established. President Kagame, his wife Jeannette, children Anse, Brian and Ian were welcomed by President Museveni and his wife Janet last Thursday at the Uganda-Rwanda border in Katuna. The two presidents launched the re-construction of Mbarara-Katuna-Kigali Road at the Uganda-Rwanda border.

The decision by President Kagame and his family to celebrate Christmas in Uganda is being viewed as a further indication of improving relations between Kampala and Kigali. The Kagames’ visit also came three months after President Museveni, his daughter Natasha Karugire and Janet went to Rwanda on a four-day state visit.

Relations between Uganda and Rwanda became fragile in the late 90s and early 2000s when the armies of the two countries, which had entered DR Congo as allies to fight the late president Kabila later fought each other.
In his remarks, President Museveni hailed the improved good relationship being enjoyed by the two countries since Rwanda was admitted to the East African Community.