The Director of the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) at Uganda Police Force (UPF), Tom Magambo, has spoken publicly about the emotional pain he endured while leading the government’s anti-corruption crackdown, which is understood to have involved former speaker Anita Among, at the same time as mourning the death of his son, Timothy Muganzi Magambo.
Speaking during a requiem mass held at Our Lady of Africa Mbuya Catholic Parish in Kampala, the visibly emotional CID boss described the week as one of the most difficult periods of his life.
“This week has been very dangerous for me,” said Magambo.
“I happen to have got some task which I was supposed to do, and as I was doing it my son had also gone. Do you tell your troops to cry and go? I couldn’t tell my troops to sit and mourn but to finish the task the president had given us,” Magambo said, praising his deputy for holding fort while he was mourning in his private space.
The senior police officer revealed that despite the tragedy that had struck his family, he remained focused on executing the assignment entrusted to him by President Yoweri Museveni under the ongoing Operation End Corruption campaign.
Magambo also decried what he termed “political indiscipline,” saying, “We have political indiscipline. I want to report to my elders.”
Magambo’s remarks come at a time when security agencies have intensified investigations into alleged corruption and abuse of office involving several high-profile government officials and politicians, especially those linked to Anita Among. The operation has seen dramatic searches, arrests and seizures targeting individuals accused of illicit enrichment and misuse of public resources.
Although he did not directly elaborate on the nature of the assignment during the church service, Magambo hinted at the immense pressure and political tensions surrounding the ongoing investigations.
He said he had told Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba about Timothy’s demise when the first son called him at about 6am for an update on the investigations regarding Operation Maliza Ufisadi.
Gen Muhoozi would tell his father Museveni who later called Magambo 30 minutes later to condole with him on the unfortunate event, asking for minute details.
“I said Mzee I don’t know,” Magambo recalled telling the president when asked him “what can I do [for you].”
His comments drew sympathy from mourners, many of whom described the situation as a painful test of duty and personal sacrifice.
Timothy Muganzi Magambo reportedly drowned in the United States where he had been studying. He was only 18 years old at the time of his death. The teenager had travelled abroad for further studies and was considered bright and promising by family friends and relatives.
The requiem mass at Mbuya attracted senior government officials, including deputy speaker of parliament Thomas Tayebwa, police officers, religious leaders and family friends who gathered to console the Magambo family. Several speakers praised Timothy as disciplined, humble and ambitious.
“The deceased, as we have learned, was a promising young man of remarkable potential, whose future held great promise and possibility. It is therefore deeply saddening that his life was cut short at such a tender age, long before he could fully realize the bright future that lay ahead of him,” Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vincent Bagiire, said of Timothy.
Principal Judge Justice Jane Frances Abodo said: “He might have lived for a very short time, but the impact is so immense. All of us have heard that the impact is so immense, and someone who has lived for 50 years may not have the same impact this young man had for 18 years. So, we want to thank God for his life.”
During the service, mourners also praised Magambo for remaining committed to national duty despite the tragedy facing his family.
