The brother of Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Doreen Nyanjura has been shot dead in Ntinda, a Kampala suburb, by unknown gunmen.
Ms Nyanjura said Albert Cook Tugume, who operated a mobile money shop, was shot dead by in what appears to have been a robbery on Thursday evening.
The tragic incident occurred near Fraine Supermarket in Ntinda-Kigoowa.
The assailants fled with an unspecified amount of money.
Ms. Nyanjura first posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Tugume had been abducted at gunpoint. The 8.42pm post said one person had been shot dead.
In a statement on Friday morning, Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, said as Tugume prepared to close his mobile money shop, he was attacked by an assailant who wanted to rob him of his cash.
“During the scuffle, a boda boda rider, Mr. Sabiti Banabas, 30, attempted to intervene but was shot by another armed assailant waiting nearby,” Owoyesigyire said.
He noted that at this time, Tugume attempted to flee the scene but was shot by the waiting armed assailant.
“The assailants made away with a bag believed to have contained an unspecified amount of cash.”
Police said a nearby vehicle, registration number UBH O45H, was damaged by stray bullets that were fired by the assailants during the armed robbery incident.
According to the police’s preliminary investigations, while one assailant attacked the mobile money shop, his colleague, who was armed with a gun, waited on the sidelines, and it was him who fired the bullets that killed Tugume and injured the boda boda rider who attempted to intervene.
He said the deceased mobile money shop operator’s body has since been taken to the City Mortuary in Mulago for postmortem examination, where the boda boda rider was rushed to Mulago for medical attention.
Police say investigations into the robbery have kicked off.
The Minister for Youth and Children’s Affairs, Balaam Barugahara, on Thursday urged security agencies to swiftly bring the killers Albert Cook Tugume to justice.
“It’s devastating to see lives lost to senseless violence. Where is our world headed?” Barugahara said.
The minister urged the nation to “collectively condemn gun violence and criminality” and work towards a safer society.
He shared condolences with the family of Ms. Nyanjura, saying, “May the deceased’s soul rest in peace, and may their legacy of hard work and resilience inspire us to create positive change.”
Whereas mobile money robberies seemed to have gradually reduced after security cracked down on those behind the same, with the onset of the festive season, it seems these kinds of crimes have resurfaced.
