Prime suspect in 2019 kidnap of American in Kanungu arrested

Kanungu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Derrick Memory, 30, a resident of Karukara Trading Centre in Rukarara Village, Kihembe Sub-county, Kanungu District, has been arrested in connection with the 2019 kidnapping of an American tourist in Kanungu District. Kimbley Sue Endecott, 35, and her guide, Jean Paul Remezo, were kidnapped at gunpoint on April 2, 2019, during an evening drive along the Edward Track between Katoke Gate and Wilderness Camp.

The kidnappers demanded a ransom of $500,000 (approximately 1.8 billion shillings) for their release. Two elderly tourists, Julius Martin and his wife, Barbel, were left unharmed but stranded after the attackers took away the car keys. The incident triggered widespread concern across Uganda’s tourism and security sectors. Endecott was later released alive from the Democratic Republic of Congo after an undisclosed ransom was reportedly paid.

According to Major Kiconco Tabaro, the Public Information Officer for the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) 2nd Infantry Division, Memory had been hiding in North Kivu Province in eastern DRC, collaborating with armed criminal gangs operating in Buganza, Nyamirima, Kasoso, and as far as Goma City.

He was apprehended after sneaking back into Uganda through a porous border point. Upon his arrest, security forces recovered wild animal products and military items from Memory. Major Tabaro said the suspect had long been on security’s wanted list and frequently crossed the Uganda-DRC border through Rwamagali and Bukunkulima in Kanungu District to evade capture.

Security agencies are still pursuing three other suspects believed to be operating between Uganda and the DRC. Major Tabaro urged members of the public, especially those living near tourist areas, to desist from engaging in activities that endanger wildlife or sabotage Uganda’s tourism sector.