Cerinah Nebanda
{{short description|Ugandan politician (1988-2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Cerinah Nebanda
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = Uganda
| death_date = {{Death year and age|2012|1988}}
| death_place = Kampala, Uganda
| education =
| occupation = Politician
| years_active = 2011–2012
| nationality = Ugandan
| citizenship = Uganda
| known_for =
| title = Member of Parliament
Parliament of Uganda
| spouse =
}}
Cerinah Nebanda (1988–2012) was a member of the parliament of Uganda, representing the Butaleja District Women's Constituency.{{cite web|first=Martin|
url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Cerinah-Nebanda-s-sudden-death-leaves-MPs-in-shock/-/688334/1644298/-/se8ixk/-/index.html|title=Cerinah Nebanda's Sudden Death Leaves MPs In Shock|date=15 December 2012|last=Ssebuyira|accessdate=5 July 2015|location=Kampala|newspaper=Daily Monitor}}
Her death at the age of 24, in December 2012,{{Cite web |last=murami |date=2019-08-21 |title=Gov’t may still probe Nebanda’s death |url=https://www.parliament.go.ug/news/3657/gov%E2%80%99t-may-still-probe-nebanda%E2%80%99s-death |access-date=2022-04-05 |website=www.parliament.go.ug |language=en}} sparked political controversy.{{cite web| title=Lawyers Ask President To Respect MPs On Nebanda|last=Gyezaho |first=Emmanuel|location=Kampala|url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Lawyers-ask-President-to-respect-MPs-on-Nebanda/-/688334/1652720/-/92lfdgz/-/index.html|date=28 December 2012|accessdate=5 July 2015|newspaper=Daily Monitor}}
Death and subsequent investigation
A government chemist's post-mortem report stated that cocaine, heroin, alcohol, and several other chemicals were found in Nebanda's blood, intestinal tract, and tissue samples.{{cite web| url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/638377-nebanda-death-cocaine-alcohol-found.html|title=Nebanda Death: Cocaine, Alcohol Found|date=22 December 2012|accessdate=5 July 2015|first=Reporter| last=Vision|newspaper=New Vision|location=Kampala}}
At Nebanda's funeral, however, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga rejected this report.{{cite web|url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/638389-chaos-at-nebanda-burial-as-speaker-rejects-gov-t-death-report.html| first=Reporter|title=Chaos At Nebanda Burial As Speaker Rejects Government Death Report|newspaper=New Vision|date=23 December 2012|last=Vision|accessdate=5 July 2015}} Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni denied that the National Resistance Movement, the political party to which he and the late Nebanda belonged to, had killed her.{{cite web| url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/638408-nrm-did-not-kill-nebanda-museveni.html|title=NRM Did Not Kill Nebanda – Museveni|
date=24 December 2012|accessdate=5 July 2015|newspaper=New Vision
|location=Kampala|first=Apollo|last=Mubiru}} The Observer newspaper reported that some Ugandan members of parliament (MPs){{who|date=January 2013}} believe that Nebanda was poisoned, as she was a vocal critic of the government, and that the state was "arresting anyone suspected to be propagating that line".{{cite web| url=http://www.observer.ug/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22913:museveni-faces-mps-revolt-over-nebanda&catid=34:news&Itemid=114 |title=Museveni Faces MPs Revolt Over Nebanda|newspaper=The Observer (Uganda)|first=Siraje |last=Lubwama|date=2 January 2013|accessdate=5 July 2015}} Among those arrested were two MPs, one of whom was Mohamed Nsereko.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.co.ug/news/news/7110-kampala-central-mp-mohamed-nsereko-released-on-bail|title=Kampala Central MP Mohamed Nsereko Released On Bail|date=31 December 2012|first=Julius|last=Odeke|newspaper=The Independent (Uganda)|location=Kampala|accessdate=5 July 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924042341/http://www.independent.co.ug/news/news/7110-kampala-central-mp-mohamed-nsereko-released-on-bail|archivedate=24 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}
Earlier, The Daily Monitor newspaper had reported that a pathologist who Nebanda's family had asked to examine her samples had been arrested while on his way to conduct tests in South Africa.{{cite web| url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Cerinah-Nebanda-s-death--Pathologist-arrested/-/688334/1646634/-/7etbhxz/-/index.html | title=Cerinah Nebanda’s Death: Pathologist Arrested, Dad Breaks Silence|newspaper=Daily Monitor|location=Kampala|date=18 December 2012|accessdate=5 July 2015|last=Sheila Naturinda, Mercy Nalugo|first=and Martin Ssebuyira}}
On 2 January 2013, police announced that they had opened an investigation into Nebanda's death and linked it to what they called "a narcotic drug syndicate operating in a number of countries including Uganda, Pakistan, and South Sudan".{{cite web | url=http://independent.co.ug/news/news/7114-police-investigation-into-the-death-of-hon-cerinah-nebanda | title=Police Investigation Into The Death of Hon Cerinah Nebanda | accessdate=5 July 2015 | date=2 January 2013 | first=Julius | last=Odeke | newspaper=The Independent (Uganda) | location=Kampala | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055104/http://independent.co.ug/news/news/7114-police-investigation-into-the-death-of-hon-cerinah-nebanda | archivedate=4 March 2016 | df=dmy-all }} On 4 January, Nebanda's boyfriend, Adam Suleiman Kalungi, was arrested in Kenya and extradited to Uganda for questioning by police.{{cite news | location=Kampala | url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/638624-nebanda-boyfriend-arrested-in-kenya-extradited.html | title=Nebanda Boyfriend Arrested In Kenya, Extradited | accessdate=5 July 2015 | date=4 January 2013 | first=Reporter | last=Vision | newspaper=New Vision}} In July 2014, he was acquitted of the criminal charges surrounding her death.[http://www.redpepper.co.ug/dpp-appeals-against-adam-kalungi-acquittal "DPP Appeals Against Adam Kalungi Acquittal", RedPepper, 9 July 2014, accessed 11 July 2015]