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Last moments of Ugandan doctor who was abducted and killed in Kenya


A Ugandan family has confirmed the death of a medical doctor who went missing in Kenya. The family of the late Dr Gideon Simiyu Wamasebu said that his body was recovered in Kakamega county.

The former District Health Officer in Manafwa District had left his home in Mbale town on Monday, February 6, 2023 never to return.

Family members, in a statement, said they started receiving messages from his phone the next day, indicating that he had been kidnapped and was being held in Kenya.

“The messages were also seeking for a ransom for him to be set free,” the family said.

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It is believed that the kidnappers wanted a Sh4 million ransom.

The family went on to explain that they informed the Ugandan police who got in touch with their counterparts in Kenya leading to several arrests.

Among the arrested suspects is a pastor, who was known to the deceased. According the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), after his arrest, the suspect pleaded guilty to killing Dr Wamasebu.

The suspect, only identified as Pastor Kelvin, also led Kenyan police officers to the grave where Dr Wamasebu had been buried.

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“On Monday, 13th February, following certain leads, some family members accompanied by both Ugandan and Kenyan police visited a site in Malava Kakamega Kenya where it is thought Dr Wamasebu could have been killed,” the family said.

The remains of the deceased have since been transported back to Uganda with the family further announcing that he will be laid to rest on Saturday, February 25 in Namabasa village, Mbale City.

His funeral will be preceded by a requiem mass at the St Austin Church in Mbale on Thursday, February 23 at 10am. Thereafter, an overnight vigil will be held at his home.

Dr Wamasebu, a father of three and devout catholic, retired two years ago from public service and had been in private practice, offering consultancy services and also a lecturer at Uganda Martyrs’ University.

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