UK govt to compensate relatives of tourists killed in Uganda

The United Kingdom is to compensate the relatives of a British citizen and his wife, who were killed in a terror attack in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Western Uganda.

British citizen David Barlow, his South African wife Emmaretia Geyer and Eric Alyai, their Ugandan tour guide, were shot dead by suspected Allied Democratic Forces rebels on October 17.

However, the relatives of the Ugandan victim Alyai aren’t eligible for compensation since he was not a British citizen or closely related to a British national.

In a statement issued on Friday, the United Kingdom (UK) government said the Queen Elizabeth National Park incident has been designated as an act of terrorism by the foreign office and, therefore, victims can apply for compensation. 

“Applications can be made to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) under the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme 2012 (VOTCS) by those victims injured, or the families of those killed, in the attack,” the statement reads.

According to Section 11 of the UK Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2012, only British, their close relatives or a national of a member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area are eligible for compensation.

The killers of the trio were suspected to be five. They haven’t yet been traced by security agencies since, but the hunt is ongoing. 

Dr Chris Baryomunsi, the Minister of ICT and National Guidance, last week said Cabinet made a resolution to name Ugandan roads after the deceased tourists as a way to honour them. 

He said they were in talks with their counterpart of the UK government on supporting the bereaved families. 
The minister also said they would support the family of the Ugandan who was killed in the same incident.