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MOSES' KILLER 'HAS DESTROYED HIS NINE YEAR OLD'S LIFE' SAYS FAMILY

8 October 2007

The nine-year-old daughter of Moses Ssendawula, the man shot dead by suspected robbers in Burgess Park last month, was standing by the phone as her mother took the call saying her father had been murdered, his family have revealed.

Tony Ntege, Linda Birungi, Angela and Teddy at a makeshift shrine.

Linda Birungi, the former partner of Mr Ssendawula, and his daughter Angela, took the call from his family. Ms Birungi said: "Angela was asking who was dead. I had to tell her that the phone call said her Dad had died.

"It was the hardest thing I have done, it still gives me nightmares. Angela cried and was devastated."

Ms Birungi added: "This person is going on with his life and has destroyed a nine-year-old’s life. She has no father, but he is still out there getting on with his life."

Despite being separated from Angela's mother, Mr Ssendawula maintained a close relationship with his daughter. Ms Birungi said: "Every weekend he would come and see her. They were close and she looked forward to seeing her dad.

"He phoned her on the day he died, he promised to take her out shopping so she was very excited, she could not wait. She called him later at 4pm and she spoke to him again"

Angela and her cousin have since written a prayer explaining how much they miss him.

Teddy Wawswa, Mr Ssendawula's sister, said her abiding memory was him playing with her children. "He loved children, in particular when they came running into the kitchen they would say that Uncle Moses was coming after them."

Although a shooting victim, Mr Ssendawula spent much of his time as a community worker persuading youths not to get involved in gangs and guns.

Tony Ntege, Mr Ssendawula’s cousin, said: "He used to encourage them not to get involved in drugs and respect their elders. He was someone who was easy to talk to and would listen if someone was in trouble."

Ms Birungi reinforced this: "He encouraged people never to give up and be determined to get the best out of life. He encouraged them to stay in school and get out of gangs."

She added: "If he saw someone getting beaten up, he would be the first to help them."

The family also stressed he was not homeless at the time of his death as previously reported. Mr Ntege said: "He was staying with people who he worked with on the community programme, using a spare room, but it was only until he was placed elsewhere by the council."

Mr Ssendawula came to the UK from Uganda in 1989, where he had been a student. Initially he harboured ambitions to be a journalist and studied at Croydon College, but his real passion was photography and film.

Ms Birungi said he often did wedding photographs as a favour to his friends, and at the time of his death he was working on a short comedy film with members of the Bede Centre.  

The family are now appealing to the public to help the police find Mr Ssendawula's killer. Mr Ntege said: "Anyone who knows anything must not be frightened and come forward and give any information to the police."

Ms Birungi added: "They need to put themselves in our shoes. Until it happens to you, you don't realise just how much the public can help. Give the police any information as if it was their family."

She added: "This man was never in trouble and never harmed anyone. He was never into drugs or gangs but worked in the community for others."

The police are asking anyone who has information to contact the Incident Room on  020 8247 4554 or if you wish to remain anonymous to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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