An inquiry into the murder by Ugandan soldiers of an Irish priest in northeast Uganda more than a year ago has "exenorated the army of complicity," the Ugandan defence ministry said in a report released today. The Irish embassy in Kampala had said it believed the army was involved in the murder.
"The board of inquiry did not find any evidence indicating complicity of the army in the murder of Father Declan O'Toole," the report said.
Father O'Toole, a Roman Catholic missionary and former parish priest of Panyangara parish in Kotido distirt of northeastern Uganda, was shot dead in March 2002 along with two of his workers by two soldiers.
The two soldiers were hastily tried by a military tribunal and were executed.
"The death of Father O'Toole was the result of a criminal act of Corporal James Omedio and Private Abdalla Mahamed, acting on their own and their personal interests," said the report, released by Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi.
The murder inquiry followed complaints over the hasty trial of the two soldiers and their eventual execution a few days later.
Some people, including diplomats, concluded the two were tried and executed with haste to cover up the army's involvement.
The Irish embassy in Kampala had said it believed the army had been involved in the murder.
"We had a feeling that the Ugandan army had directly killed the father," the embassy's charge d'affaires Mairtin O'Fainin told the inquest board, composed mainly of military officers.
O'Fainin said disagreements between the army and the priest before his death had triggered the assault against him by the soldiers.
Mbabazi said that he would send a copy of the report to the Irish embassy.