UGANDA: Police Make Arrest In Kato Murder, Say Robbery Not A Motive

Last week the disreputable Ugandan police insisted that David Kato's murder was a mere robbery gone lethal and had nothing to do with his status as the nation's most prominent LGBT activist. Now the police have changed their story after arresting a man they say has confessed to the killing. Which now isn't robbery-related.

"The prime suspect, Nsubuga Enock, was arrested today at around 4pm when he went to visit his girlfriend," police spokesman Vincent Ssetake told Reuters. He has confessed to the murder. It wasn't a robbery and it wasn't because Kato was an activist. It was a personal disagreement but I can't say more than that." Ssetake said that Enock would appear in court on Wednesday evening. Police said last week that Enock, whom they described as a "well-known thief," had been staying with Kato after the activist bailed him out of prison on January 24.

Gay activists aren't buying this latest version of the crime either. Kato's murder coming just weeks after his "HANG THEM" outing in a local newspaper is extremely suspiciously timed and some fear that we'll never get the truth from the Ugandan government. Why would we? The Ugandan government has a huge stake in covering up the true motive in Kato's murder, as international human rights groups are now threatening to lobby for an end to aid to Uganda. There are many millions of dollars at stake, some of which, local activists apparently suspect, may make it back to the family of the confessed killer.

The best-case scenario that can probably come out of this now, should the latest police story stick and Kato's killing is ruled a "personal disagreement," is that American anti-gay activists might tread more carefully when inflaming violence against gays in other countries. We can only hope.