Today, Saturday, September 11 2021 will forever remain in the family calendar of former Tooro Kingdom Prime Minister John Sanyu Katuramu Amooti as the happiest day ever.
This is because, it’s the day the Tooro business magnet broke the chains of Luzira maximum prisons, and he is finally a FREE MAN after 20 years in incarceration!
“Yeah, true your man is free at last! He is actually in office signing out, and all those other procedures which should ideally take a few minutes. He should be done with everything and out by 10am, I’m sure,” our highly placed spy within prisons whispered to our reporter via phone.
Katuramu, a former prime minister of Tooro Kingdom got his death row sentence commuted to life in prison for 20 years in 2009. He argued in his November 29 petition that he has spent far too long in jail.
Katuramu and two others were on September 11, 2001 sentenced to hang for the murder of Prince Happy Kijanangoma and Stephen Kaganda, a guard, on March 25, 1999.
Katuramu’s sentence was commuted to life in prison after Susan Kigula and 400 other death row inmates successfully appealed against their sentences in the Supreme court in 2009.
The Supreme Court then ruled that if someone is convicted and sentenced to death and is not hanged within three years, then the High court would revisit his or her sentence to a maximum of life in prison for 20 years.
Who Is John Sanyu Katuramu
Until early 1993 when the Omukama of Tooro, Patrick Olimi Kaboyo appointed him the Omuhikirwa, (prime minister) of the kingdom, John Sanyu Katuramu was a businessman who rarely came into the limelight.
Katuramu set up businesses in Kasese soon after completing a diploma course at the National College of Business Studies in Nakawa, now Makerere University Business School.
He did O level at Mvara Secondary School in Arua and completed A level at Nyakasura School in Fort Portal.
In Kampala, he was only known in the business circles.
By the time he was appointed prime minister, he boasted of a large business empire, including the Give and Take Forex Bureau, which was located at Uganda House in Kampala, fueling stations, wholesale shops and he was one of the biggest coffee exporters. He also had real estate businesses.
His fortunes in Kabarole breathed new life when he met Princess Elizabeth Bagaya, a cousin to his wife Gertrude. Bagaya visited them and eventually introduced Katuramu to Kaboyo and the two became friends.
When the monarchy was restored in 1993, the Omukama regained his throne and appointed his friend prime minister.
Katuramu suddenly became a household name in Tooro, becoming the king’s confidante.
Often times, there was talk that Katuramu was using his money to fund some of the kingdom activities.
Then things started going wrong with unconfirmed reports that his relationship with the king had gone sour. Katuramu, however, maintained that there was nothing wrong and that he was still the king’s trusted servant. The king never commented on the matter.
At one point, people complained that the king was even being blocked from seeing his subjects who sought his audience.
When the Omukama died in 1995, some members of the royal family and kingdom officials retained Katuramu as the prime minister and he was also named one of the regents of the new three-year-old new king, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru.
This did not go down well with some members of the royal family and kingdom officials as rumours spread that Katuramu may have had a hand in the king’s death. He denied the allegations.
In 1999, Prince Charles Happy Kijanangoma, Kaboyo’s cousin and the most outspoken of Katuramu’s critics was killed. Katuramu was accused of killing him, but he was only arrested after a protracted investigation.
Investigations took so long that at one point, during the commission of inquiry in the corruption into the Police, Princess Bagaya complained that Katuramu had compromised the force to protect himself from arrest.
Katuramu was a very generous man who wore an almost permanent smile, though some people described him as cold and calculating.
By the time he was arrested, Katuramu had about 10 children, including five from his official wife.
Katuramu’s wife, Gertrude, is a daughter of Canon James Rabwoni, the late Brig. Noble Mayombo’s father.
