Families, friends eulogise loved ones killed during protests in towns
L-R: Saddam Mwebasa (KIU student), Ndugwa Twahir, Richard Mutyaba and Onesmus Kansiime
What you need to know:
The death toll from the protests that followed the arrest of presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine, going by our count, stood at 46 by the end of Friday. There was no update of numbers yesterday although there were fears that the toll could rise given the number of critically injured people in hospital. Who are those who were killed? What are their stories?
Christians joined by the Bishop of Kasana- Luweero Diocese Paul Ssemogerere are mourning the death of their own, Richard Mutyaba, a parishioner and leader of the Laity at Kasaala Parish Church.
Mutyaba was gunned down during protests by the National Unity Platform (NUP) party supporters on Wednesday night.
While details about the suspected shooting to death of Mutyaba, who also doubled as Kasaala village chairperson, remain a subject of the postmortem report that the police said they were yet to receive from the City Mortuary in Kampala, a section of witnesses claim the deceased succumbed to bullet wounds sustained when UPDF soldiers opened fire to disperse protesting youth that had tried to block a section of the Kampala-Gulu highway at Kasaala village.
Eriosi Ndagire, 27, killed in Kabowa, Peter Kadimba, Roger Tumwebaze and Absolmon Kasirye
“It is not true that our village chairperson was part of the protesting youths. The deceased was trying to calm down the youth when a bullet struck him dead,” Mr Edmond Ssendege, a resident of Kasaala village, Butuntumula Subcounty claimed in an interview on Thursday.
“The UPDF double cabin pickup truck had soldiers and was heading to the direction of Kampala City from Gulu. We suspect the soldiers who did not wait to find out what had happened after the shooting possibly thought that the rioters were targeting the UPDF car,” Mr Butuntumula added.
Bishop Ssemogerere, who paid a brief visit to the deceased home in Kasaala village, expressed shock on learning from the family members that the deceased was trying to restrain the protesters from blocking the road.
“We pray that this situation is brought under control and that we get to know from the investigators, the likely cause of this unfortunate incident. We also need to pray for this particular family and our country that it does not lose direction,” he said.
A video grab showing Spark TV’s Josh Kasagga trying to rescue 15-year-old Amos Segawa, who was shot at Kafumbe Mukasa Road in Kampala. Segawa later passed on at Doctors Clinic. PHOTO/COURTESY
Bishop Ssemogerere added: “We can have a peaceful election as Ugandans. God can never abandon his people. We need to come back to God by avoiding all inhuman acts. The love for one another and respect for humanity should manifest.”
The Savannah regional police spokesperson, Mr Issah Ssemogerere, on Thursday told Sunday Monitor that they are waiting for a postmortem report from the City Mortuary in Kampala.
“We have to wait for the report before we confirm the cause of death. The police is also conducting further investigations regarding the possible cause of death of Mutyaba,” he added.
Did you lose a loved one in the protests that followed the arrest of Robert Kyagulanyi? Please get in touch with us with details on [email protected]
