Renowned Journalist Joseph Kato Attacked at Northern Bypass

BY FAHAD MUGANGA

Renowned and experienced security, crime and human rights reporter Joseph Kato was two days ago attacked by unknown thugs at the Kampala Northern Bypass. Kato, who rarely misses a story about security and crime was attacked inside a town service mini bus. He said the thugs pretended to be passengers and pounced on him as he reached a stage where he was meant to disembark. The attackers punched him on the right cheek, left fore head near the eye and in the chest. Although Kato lost 210,000 shillings, he says he does not know whether it was a random or premeditated attack on him for yet to be known reasons. Below is Kato’s full account:

As a journalist who formerly worked for Daily Monitor newspaper and now working with Uganda Radio Network (URN), I have often written hundreds of stories of people who have been terrorized by thugs at the Northern Bypass and other parts of Kampala City. I have written stories of drivers who have been hit with pavers, passengers grabbed off motorcycles and pedestrians attacked during day and night hours at the Northern Bypass.

I have written about the various criminals gangs in Kampala and their modus operandi. I have written about taxi thugs who often offer the front seat to unsuspecting passengers and rob them clean along the way. But, I must admit that I had never thought or interfaced with the modus operandi in which I was attacked and robbed on October 13, 2023.

In all the nearly 10 years I have written about criminality in the City, I had never imagined that I would be a victim of thugs who looked to be genuine taxi operators to the extent of loading and offloading passengers including giving them their balance. But the Friday evening of October 13 brought me to a totally a new robbery trick which has since left me wondering whether it was a random act and I was just that unlucky passenger or it was a predetermined crime against me.

At around a quarter to 7pm, I walked alongside my workmate to the Northern Bypass taxi stage just under the Kyebando –Kamwokya Passover. If my memory serves right, I boarded the taxi which we found parked with some passengers inside at about 10 minutes past 7pm. It waited for other passengers and it was filled to capacity before we set off. When we reached Kisaasi intersection, a number of passengers disembarked. New passengers boarded and it got filled again. The same happened at Kiwatule flyover where even my workmate disembarked and wished me a safe journey to my home. In a few minutes, we were at Naalya intersection where other passengers alighted and more others boarded.

While about to set off at Naalya, I asked a man who standing behind me and seemingly in his mid-20s to board first if he was going past Agenda stage at which I was going to disembark. The man refused and I entered the taxi first. I sat at the right corner of the behind seats. This man also came and sat next to me donned in a checked shirt and a small black bag commonly used by teenagers and youths in their early 20s. For those who know Naalya road intersection and Agenda stage, it is less than five minutes of driving. About a minute after we had set off at Naalya, I pulled out money from my jean pocket, removed a 10,000 shillings note which I gave to a person who was working as a conductor. I put back other notes of 10,000 and 20,000 in my jean pockets.

I am a person who always moves with small notes of 1,000, 2000 and 5,000 when using town service vehicles purposely to avoid the verbal ‘artillery’ of taxi operators. I hate being entangled in useless fights which are common with taxi operators and commercial motorcycle riders. I always ensure that I separate the money I am using for transport both for short and long journeys from the rest to avoid attracting criminals who might be sharing a seat with me. But this time I don’t how I forgot to have these small notes and separating money meant for transport fare from the rest.

Like I earlier said, three to four minutes we were at Agenda taxi stage where I was meant to disembark. Three passengers got out of the taxi but this man who was sitting next to me pretended to be speaking on phone. I repeatedly told him to give me space so that I could disembark but acted dump and deaf. It was until another passenger who I suspect was part of this gang told him in a Luganda dialect to let me pass. The man moved out of the taxi but stood adjacent the exit. He gave me the first punch on my right cheek as soon as I put my first foot on the ground. I started asking why I was being beaten.  He gave me another punch on the fore head and another targeting my left eye but it landed on the shoulder.

All this was happening as other passengers who were mostly men were just looking on. Then the man who acted as the conduct pretended to be protecting me from being beaten while the attacker came to give me more punches. My black backpack containing a laptop fellow down but I quickly collected it from the ground. As I was trying to defend myself, another man sitting in the co-driver’s seat held my left hand.

All of a sudden, the conductor and the man who was beating entered the taxi. I was very confused. The conductor gave me the balance of 8,000 shillings and they then shut the taxi door. I heard another man laughing and speaking in Luganda dialect that you really punched him. Because I was confused, I could not record the taxi number plate. I later collected by jacket and it was at that moment I realised that my 210,000 shillings had been taken in the scuffle. I started wondering whether the move was orchestrated after seeing me putting back money in my jean pockets or a deliberate act to hurt me for unknown reasons.

The next day, I went to Kira Division Police headquarters which I was very sure would help me to identify the taxi number plate and the faces of the attackers using the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras. I was attended to by four officers under the guidance of the division’s OC CID ASP Cosmas Rugaju. A case of simple robbery under the reference SD REF: 56/14/10/23 was entered. I was informed that it was being recorded as a simple robbery because there was no rudimentary or lethal weapon used and I had also not sustained grievous injuries. The swelling on my right cheek and left side forehead had reduced because I applied a dragon cream. I was then led to the CCTV monitoring room so that I could help to identify the spot, the taxi and the attackers. However, it was discovered that the spot at which I was attacked and robbed is not covered by police CCTVs.

ASP Rugaju felt sorry and recommended that I proceed to Kira Road police division which is not very far from the stage at which I boarded the taxi. On Monday morning, I went to OC CID Kira Road as advised with my case reference. However, SP Acaye the OC CID at Kira Road exhibited the highest degree of arrogance. He began by asking me why I reported the case at Kira Division and not at their station. I told him the spot at which I was robbed is near the Kireka- Namugongo flyover which falls under Kira Division. He then told me to go back and tell the OC CID to write to the ICT Directorate at Naguru police headquarters so that the Naguru CCTV Command Centre can also write to Kira Road Division instructing them to retrieve the CCTV footage. In fact, SP Acaye walked out of the office and concluded that next time I should know where to report. Because security is my journalism beat, have attended many events where IGP Martin Ochola and his deputy Maj Gen Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi have often urged every police officer to know that civilians are their bosses and should exhibit good customer care. But I am convinced that many police officers including SP Acaye have not grasped that message or just ignore it.

I was very disappointed by SP Acaye’s conduct towards me. I, however, went to Divisional Police Commander (DPC) SSP Boniface Kinyera who calmly listened to my ordeal and quickly instructed ASP Stanley Mwijukye to retrieve the CCTV footage. Unfortunately, ASP Mwijukye regrettably informed that the police CCTV camera which faces the spot where I boarded the taxi from lacks enough light during night hours and it could not capture clear images. He said he was only seeing dark pictures where it was very difficult to identify the taxi and the persons.

I nutshell, my quest for justice has prematurely ended. I will never know who mugged me and robbed me of my hard earned money however small it maybe to some people. I will also not know whether I was just that unlucky passenger or I was deliberately targeted.

This has made me reflect on the many stories I have written in the Daily Monitor and Uganda Radio Network about hundreds of robberies and murders that gone unresolved. I have now known why traffic police every year has hundreds of fatal and serious road crashes where the culprits are not known. I have now known that everyone will at one time will be a victim of crime and the responsible people will never be known.

I have now known why my fellow journalist Flavia Nassaka’s Fielder was stolen and only what police could do was telling us areas where a few CCTV cameras had captured it being chauffeured by strangers. I have now known that there are many police CCTV cameras that are a mere decoration. I have now known that some police officers behave like demigods like SP Acaye while others are indeed in office to serve like ASP Rugaju and SSP Kinyera. I have now known that you are not a victim of crime because your turn hasn’t come. I can confidently say that this incident has brought me to the reality of ‘dead’ CCTV cameras on Kampala streets and criminals that go unpunished. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the City where you’ll be injured or killed in front of a ‘dead’ police CCTV camera.

As narrated by Joseph Kato

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