Security is hunting for a driver who shot into a taxi on New Year’s Day eve and injured a 12-year-old boy.
The incident occurred in Kyebando, Kawempe North, in Kampala city. According to the taxi driver, Robert Nsubuga, an unidentified person driving a Toyota Harrier, reg no. UBQ 688B, opened fire into his taxi, Toyota Hiace, reg no. UBC 939D, for an unknown reason and injured Edrine Babalanda who was a passenger alongside his father and brother.
“It was around 9:25 pm when a strange man driving a Toyota Harrier UBQ 699B started shooting into my taxi. I was driving passengers to Kasangati and Gayaza. I stopped the taxi and I asked the driver why he was shooting at us. He told me he was shooting at thieves. I told him he had shot and injured a passenger and he subsequently drove off,” Nsubuga said.
Babalanda was rushed to a nearby health facility which transferred him to Mulago hospital. Nsubuga reported the incident at Kanyanya police station and police recorded the case on CRB 434/2024.
Detectives said a team combing operators of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras on the road has been put in place to hunt for the vehicle and its driver.
“We have so far retrieved the CCTV footage and we have placed this Toyota Harrier UBQ 669B into the system as a wanted car for committing a crime. All police stations in Kampala metropolitan have been given an alert message to impound this vehicle on sight,” a detective said.
ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, said he was still gathering information about the incident.
Gun related incidents were recorded in Kampala during end-of-year celebrations and prayers. For instance, a man was shot dead in Seeta, in Mukono Municipality, during a fireworks display while another man was arrested at St Stephen’s Church in Kisugu with bullets and is currently detained at Kisugu police station.
Young people in this country are holding guns to show off as NRM die hard. They seem to be above the UPDF gun laws which allow a monopoly of guns for themselves as UPDF compatriots.
If this taxi driver had his own private gun in his car such a gun criminal would easily have been apprehended! It wants to look like those entitled to move about in public with guns strapped on their backs govern this country!
As the Uganda police is now struggling in its forensic work to find out who is that government individual’s gun was used to shot innocent people, government medics must come out and quickly treat the victim and a reasonable compesation given out.
A very sad state of misuse of a fire arm. However the same vehicle has been referred to as UBQ 699B, UBQ 688B, UBQ 669B; whic is which?