Bomb blast injures four children in Mubende

Ms Resty Nagujja with her children; Lillian Nabakooza and Lydia Mukisa who sustained injuries after an object suspected to be a bomb exploded. Photo by Josephine Nnabbale

What you need to know:

  • The recent incident was in Pader District in January this year six children from the same family got injured by a grenade which they picked from a kraal and started playing with it.
  • In 2013, two children in the same district died after a grenade they picked from a garden and started playing with it exploded.

MUBENDE- Police in Mubende District have started investigations into the source of an object suspected to be a bomb, which injured four children at Kikona-Kyabatagi Village in Mubende Municipality on Sunday.
The victims, according to police are Tadeo Katongole, 8; Regan Sempijja, 7; Lydia Mukisa ,2 and Lillian Nabakooza,5; -all children of Sgt. Charles Kakooza who is attached to Mubende Army Causality Rehabilitation Centre.
The children are nursing wounds at Mubende Regional Referral Hospital.

Sgt. Kakooza said the children sustained injuries on their private parts, legs and other parts of their bodies.
“My children were in the kitchen preparing food and all of a sudden, they heard a loud bang, followed by a whizzing sound and later fragments from different directions started hitting them,” he said
According to Mubende District Police Commander, Mr Patrick Byaruhanga, the metallic object might be one of the various weapons that were abandoned during the past wars in the 80’s.
He said the fire in the kitchen could have heated the object leading to an explosion.
“The source of the suspected explosive is still unknown but our team of bomb experts has started investigating the matter. We really want to know what kind of explosive was this and its effect to the victims, ” he said.

Children are increasing becoming victims of abandoned explosives given their nature of playing with any objects they come across.
Most of such cases have been recorded in several districts in northern Uganda which suffered a two-decade insurgence by the Lord’s Resistance Army rebel outfit.
The recent incident was in Pader District in January this year six children from the same family got injured by a grenade which they picked from a kraal and started playing with it.
In 2013, two children in the same district died after a grenade they picked from a garden and started playing with it exploded.