More details have emerged in the shooting of Ronald Juuko Kizito, a boda boda rider and father of five. Kizito, 38, was shot dead on Saturday during enforcement operations for the second National Cleaning Day exercise in Kanaba Zone, Ndejje Division, Makindye Ssabagabo Municipality, Wakiso District.
Juuko was shot dead by Police Constable Allan Ogwal from Ndejje Police Post. At the time, he was returning home from his night duty at Zzana boda boda stage. According to witnesses, the deceased was shot as he approached at 7:00 a.m., about a kilometer away from his rental home in the same area.
While police initially claimed the deceased attempted to force his way through a secured area, eyewitnesses gave a different account. They said officers were positioned at intervals along the road. The first officer waved his hand to stop him, but Kizito was already too close and rode past without stopping. Ogwal, stationed further ahead and watching the encounter, then opened fire.
He shot him from behind, and the bullet entered his back and exited through his chest. He fell off the motorcycle in the middle of the road. After the shooting, fellow officers whisked the shooter away and detained him at Ndejje Police Post before quickly transferring him to Katwe Police Division.
Kizito’s body was taken to the City Mortuary at Mulago. His family, led by his elder brother Suuna Mulema, collected it, and he was laid to rest in Bamunanika Sub-county on Sunday. “I reached the scene around midday and went to Ndejje Police Post, where the officer in charge told me that my brother was big-headed, that he was stopped and refused to stop,” Mulema said.
“I asked him, why not shoot to deflate the tyres and arrest him so he could serve a punishment, rather than ending his life? He told me the officers tried to stop him, and he wanted to knock them down, which is the narrative they are cooking up to shield their killer officer.” Mulema added.
He added that officers at Ndejje directed him to Katwe Police Station, which had taken over the investigations, saying he would get a full explanation there and be able to collect the deceased’s belongings, including his phone and national ID.
On arrival at Katwe, he said, he was issued a letter authorizing him to pick up the body from the City Mortuary free of charge and was told to follow up later as investigations were still ongoing. Since the burial, he said, the family has not heard from the police and has received no support.
There were also claims that Kizito was rushing to hospital to see his expectant wife, but Mulema dismissed them, saying his younger brother was returning from night duty and had no one admitted in hospital, as his wife and children are all in Luseenke Wobulenzi Town, Luwero, where his family home is.
Suuna also revealed that Kizito had only rented a place in Kanaaba, Ndejje, two months ago to ease his night shifts and allow him to rest, instead of riding home to Wobulenzi every night, a journey he had made for the past five years from Kampala.
The deceased left behind five children, the eldest in Senior One, with no means to care for them, as he had been the family’s sole breadwinner. Besides demanding thorough investigations and justice, the family is appealing for support to keep the children in school.
Police Spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said investigations into the incident are still ongoing and that the officer will be produced before the courts of law. He added that investigators are currently determining whether the officer’s use of force was proportionate to the threat.
“As Uganda Police, the reason he is currently behind bars is that we strongly believe the force he used was not proportionate to the threat. Was the force legitimate, and can he account for the force he used? These are things he will explain to courts of law, but he will be allowed to defend himself.” Kituuma said.
Kituuma said Ugandans should not condemn the enforcement of the National Cleaning Day, which requires enforcement to prevail, because of one errant officer who went against the code of conduct.
On the issue of compensation, Kituuma said he was yet to be briefed by the welfare department. The killing has sparked widespread condemnation of police conduct during the National Cleaning Day.
There have been several complaints of officers forcing people out of their homes to take part in the exercise, beating those who resisted, and compelling them to clean along roadsides, actions that fall outside their primary role as stipulated in the guidelines issued by the Office of the Prime Minister-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
