Boda boda rider shot dead for defying lockdown rules
BUDAKA/KIBUKU- A boda boda rider has died after being shot by a policeman who accused him of defying lockdown directives that were announced by the government to stop the spread of Covid-19 in Uganda.
According to police, Wilber Kawonawo, a resident of Kasavu, Namunsi in Mbale District was shot in the leg by a police officer attached to Iki-Iki Police Station in Budaka District, on Sunday at about 4: 30 am on the Kamonkoli-Pallisa Road, for allegedly refusing to stop at a checkpoint.
Budaka District Police Commander, ASP Swagiya Nabunya said that the boda boda operator who was heading to Pallisa with a passenger, was pronounced dead at Mbale Hospital due to bleeding.
“The rider was stopped but instead accelerated with the intention of knocking the officers, which prompted the police officer to fire a live bullet to deflate the tyre but the bullet hit the rider in the leg,” Ms Nabunya said.
After a post-mortem, the body has been handed over to relatives for burial amidst protests from family members headed by Mr Christopher Muganda, who vowed to push the matter to court to seek justice.
“Uganda has registered 55 cases [of Covid-19]. They [boda boda riders] should respect the curfew guidelines and stop being violent,” Ms Nabunya said.
She said that since the lockdown, police have impounded 30 motorcycles from defiant boda boda riders in the area.
