Radio Kwizera
January 8, 2013, in Kigoma, Tanzania

Ngumba, 45, a reporter for Radio Kwizera, was found dead in Kajuhuleta Forest, northwestern Tanzania, three days after he was reported missing by his family and friends, according to local journalists and local reports. Ngumba's former wife, Rukia Yunus, said he had left their home in the evening of January 5, 2013, to go to the town center, but never returned, according to news reports.

Ngumba was found with a gunshot wound in his left arm and marks on his neck that suggested he had been strangled or hanged, according to local journalists who interviewed the coroner. A gun was found lying next to his body, along with two mobile phones and 10,000 Tanzanian shillings (US$6.25) in his pocket, according to news reports.

Residents of the rural Tanzanian region of Kigoma where Ngumba was killed suspect the reporter may have been targeted for a November 2012 story concerning a gruesome murder by a local cattle owner, according to local reports. The story claimed a local cattle owner had brutally wounded a shepherd under his service, according to reports.

The Tanzanian Editor's Forum conducted an investigation into Ngumba's case, but were unable to determine whether the killing arose over Ngumba's reporting or a dispute over local farming issues, Secretary General Neville Meena told CPJ.

Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.

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