Nearly thirty people have reportedly been killed in two days’ protests in Uganda. Protests sparked off in various parts of Uganda after police arrested reggae star and now presidential candidate, Robert Ssentamu Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine.
Bobi Wine was arrested at his presidential campaign venue in the Eastern district of Luuka on accusations of defying orders intended to contain the spread of novel Corona Virus Disease. News of Bobi Wine arrest triggered protests across the country as people demanded for his release.
Army, police responded by firing teargas and live bullets in protesters. The actions of security forces left several wounded while others died on spot. Police’s pathologist, Dr Moses Byaruhanga, told local media at country’s National referral hospital Mulago that he had conducted postmortem on 16 bodies as a result of Wednesday shootings and teargas.
Dr Byaruhanga explained to journalists at City morgue that most of fatalities were a result of bullets while a few were suffocated to death by teargas. Mulago hospital executive director, Dr Baterana Byarugaba, also told journalists that nine people had died during bullet wounds operations. Dr Byaruhanga and Dr Byarugaba figures put the death toll to 25.
However, police sources also revealed to others journalists that a number of bodies had been accounted for. Workers at Mulago hospital told local journalists that postmortems were yet to be carried out on various bodies. This puts the estimations of Wednesday and Thursday fatalities close to 30 or more.
Police spokesperson for Uganda’s capital Kampala, Patrick Onyango, was quoted by local media that more than 40 people had been injured and several others were still in critical condition. The random firing in Kampala, Wakiso, Butambala, Luweero and Mukono districts claimed lives of both teenagers, youths and adults.