In the space of two weeks, over four people have succumbed to gun violence, including the retired colonel and minister Charles Okello Engola. The most recent shooting was that of a security guard at Mukwasi House at Lumumba Avenue, who shot himself on May 18.
Just a few days ago, John Okudi, a 27-year-old security guard attached to Saracen (U) Ltd., was allegedly shot on Wednesday by his colleague in Tororo.
Okudi’s death comes barely a week after another guard attached to Capital Guards and Patrol, a private security firm, allegedly shot a colleague dead in their rented house in Kalule Zone, Lukuli Parish, Makindye Division, on May 13, 2023.
The murder of an Indian money lender, one Uttam Bhandari, by a police officer, PC Wabwire Ivan, on May 12 at Raja Chambers.
A lot of Ugandans have been left with a number of questions about the ongoing shooting. Questions like, “What could be the cause of these shootings? Why are the shootings getting so common now?”
In an interview with the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj. Gen. Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi, he stated that “we have always had isolated shootings in the country for a long time; investigations have been done and arrests have been made. The culprits are always taken to court martial for trials and imprisoned. So, this recent shooting is not the first of a kind, investigations will be carried out and arrests will be made.”
Findings by a private investigator who preferred to remain anonymous indicate that frustration due to less pay is the primary cause of this gun violence by men in uniform.
“You find a soldier is being paid UGX 600,000 but he has a family of ten people to take care of, and this has left most of them in debt and frustrated.” he said He also added that the country has always had these shootings, but because almost everyone has a phone with internet and social media, these incidents are now being widely publicized by the citizens.
He concluded by saying, “The bad political environment is also making these shootings so common. The opposition agenda to show that the country is not safe at all is being used in play on social media platforms.”
