The murder of Lt Gen Imran Kombe: Trial of police officers begins

One year after Lt Gen Imran Kombe's 12-year tour of duty as Tanzania Intelligence and Security Services (TISS) had come to an end, he was gunned down in broad daylight on June 30, 1996.

The officers who had been dispatched from Dar es Salaam soon realised they had got the wrong man and not the notorious car thief they were looking for. All the officers were arrested and tried.

Corporal Juma Mswa's defence:

In his defence, Corporal Juma Mswa, who was number C7874, explained how he and Sergeant Thomson Mensah, the first defendant, left Dar es Salaam for Moshi to search for the stolen car and how they found it.

He said that on June 30, 1996, at 4 p.m., they met the car they were looking for and how it veered off onto a road leading to a cornfield in Mailisita Village, Hai District, Kilimanjaro Region.

After their car stopped, the first defendant, Sergeant Mensah, who was the team leader, ordered them to get out of the car immediately and fire warning shots into the air.

He told the court that their warning shots did not stop the car they were told was the stolen one, so they decided to aim for the tyres, even though it was difficult to hit the target due to the road conditions.

He said that Kombe had a gunshot wound to his shoulder and other injuries, which in his opinion proved that they did not have malicious intent when they fired at the car Kombe was driving with his wife in the passenger seat.

In his defence, he admitted that the deceased did not have a weapon, but after the deceased's car stopped and the passenger door opened, he fired a shot in an attempt to stop the suspected car thief from escaping, and he saw him fall.

He denied shooting Kombe or his car, but he saw the deceased get out of his car and run a few steps before falling, insisting that when he got out of the car, he did not surrender.

He stressed that he was certain that not a single bullet from the weapon he was carrying hit the deceased, as he aimed for the car tyres and not the person.

Corporal Mataba Matiku's defence:

According to Mataba Matiku, after the deceased's car hit a tree, they were ordered by the first defendant (Mensah) to get out of the car. They fired warning shots to stop the deceased's car.

“I got out of the car, and Corporal Juma Mswa followed me. I fired one shot into the air. I don't know how many bullets came out of the gun. All I know is that my gun was having problems.

“I fixed the problem. The car didn't stop. We continued to chase it and fired at the tires. The car was moving fast. I didn't count how many bullets I fired while,” he said, adding,

“When I was aiming at the tyres, I was about 25 metres from the car we were chasing. I decided to aim at the wheels to slow it down so we could catch the suspect who was in it and the car as well.”

“I couldn't do it any other way because I was on foot. But Corporal Juma Mswa also fired three shots into the air. I heard the gunshots from behind me. It was like five steps behind me.”

“Later, that car hit a tree. I stopped firing after it stopped. I saw the left door open, and then one person got out and fell down. But he stood up and ran,” he explained in his defence.

The third suspect fired a shot ahead of him as a signal for the deceased to stop. Then the deceased fell. He did not stand up again. I don't know if his shot hit the target or not. He was already dead.

In his defence, he said that at that time he was sure that none of the bullets he fired had hit Kombe because he was aiming at the tyres of the car he was driving and not at him.

While making his defence, the pathologist, Ndetiyo Pallangyo, who examined Kombe's body in his testimony, said that since the bullet heads were not found in his body, the injuries were from a pistol or SMG.

According to Dr. Pallangyo, Kombe's body had nine wounds, four of which were bullet wounds and four were exit wounds. In general, these bullets entered through the chest and abdomen and damaged the organs.

Who is Imran Kombe?

Lt. General Imran Kombe of the Tanzania People's Defence Force (TPDF) was a military officer and intelligence chief who, during the Uganda-Tanzania War of 1979, led the 201st Brigade when Tanzania invaded Uganda to overthrow Idi Amin.

In 1980, he was appointed Chief of Staff of the TPDF and was promoted to major general.

In 1983, Kombe retired from the military with the rank of lieutenant general and was appointed Director-General of the National Intelligence and Security Service (TISS), a position he held until 1995, when he retired.

On June 30, 1996, he was shot and killed.

One of the major characteristics of General Kombe to date is the absence of his photographs on social media, unlike those who came after him after his retirement, and he is considered a spy who was not well known.

In his 2000 book, "Genocide and Covert Operations in Africa 1993–1999," author Wayne Madsen claimed that Kombe was aware of the plans to assassinate Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana in 1994.

According to Madsen, Kombe was also aware of the plans to assassinate Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi and Zairean President Mobutu Sese Seko, and he claims that Kombe warned Moi, who in turn warned Mobutu of the existence of such plans.