KAMPALA – Michael Kalinda, also known as Ziggy Wine, died after being involved in a boda boda accident, police have said, dismissing reports that the musician was tortured.
Addressing journalists in Kampala on Tuesday, Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said Ziggy Wine was riding a motorcycle and suffered severe injuries after knocking two people on July 21.
“The death of Ziggy Wine is a matter being investigated by the Kampala Metropolitan Police. What they have since established is that on the 21st of July 2019 at around 7:30 pm, a speeding motorcycle Honda heading in the direction of Kyebando knocked a lady and a gentleman. The gentleman who was badly injured (crushed his head on the right-hand side of the motorcycle) neither had identification nor phone with him,” Mr Enanga said.
“He was later identified as Michael Alinda or commonly known as Ziggy Wine. His relatives identified him and admitted him to Rubaga Hospital. He was later referred to Mulago Hospital where he succumbed to the injuries he sustained from the accident,” he added.
Mr Enanga said they have the motorcycle that was involved in the accident.
“We managed to retrieve the motorcycle that caused the accident but the number plate had gone off as well as a few other parts. The number plate was later recovered. The exhibit of the motorcycle is with us. It has several dents on the right-hand side because this victim fell on the right-hand side,” he said.
The revelation adds more mystery to Ziggy Wine’s death.
A postmortem report indicates that after a hard object hit the dead, it broke the skull bone and allowed blood to flow into his brain, which caused a slow death.
The postmortem was conducted at Mulago Hospital and the doctors are conducting further tests to establish whether the artiste could have been poisoned. The doctors, who refused to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, said urine samples and those of the deceased’s internal organs are being subjected to further tests to establish whether there was any poison. However, the report shows that the artiste’s eye was not plucked out as earlier reported.
Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, accused government of trying to intimidate him to back off from his presidency bid by arresting and torturing supporters of his People Power movement.
Bobi Wine said with the recent atrocities committed against his supporters, the regime wants him to drop his presidential ambitions.
Bobi Wine also expressed dismay at the manner in which Ziggy Wyne was tortured.
“His left eye was plucked out, two of his fingers cut off and parts of his body were burnt with a flat iron. He was beaten to near death, and dumped at Mulago hospital by unknown people where he spent a week before being identified by his family and friends. Last night, he was declared dead,” he said.
