Kaliro Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Thomas Matende, has directed police to arrest a police officer accused of fatally shooting a civilian during a confrontation between residents and private debt collectors in Kasokwe Town Council. The incident occurred on Saturday in Buyodi Trading Centre, where the officer had reportedly been deployed to provide security to private creditors seeking to recover unpaid loans.
According to preliminary information, the debtors fled the scene after leaving their shops open, prompting the creditors to begin attaching property, including refrigerators and television sets, as collateral. Residents objected to the exercise, arguing that the attachment should only be carried out in the presence of the debtors. The disagreement escalated into a confrontation.
Geoffrey Wanjigya, a retail shop operator, said residents turned against the three creditors and physically assaulted them. He said the police officer initially fired two warning shots into the air in an attempt to disperse the crowd, but the situation continued to deteriorate as more people gathered.
Wanjigya alleged that the officer later fired towards the crowd, and a bullet struck Derrick Samanya, a boda boda rider who was transporting passengers from Kaliro District to Bulyowa Trading Centre in Ivukula Town Council, Namutumba District. Another resident, who requested anonymity, claimed the police officer helped the creditors flee the scene after the shooting.
He said Samanya was rushed to Bumanya Health Centre IV before being referred to Iganga General Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. However, he died while being transported to the referral facility. Matende said preliminary investigations indicate that the officer may have fired directly at the crowd instead of relying on other crowd-control measures, resulting in the fatal shooting.
He directed the territorial police to arrest the officer, saying he will face interrogation and prosecution if found responsible for the civilian’s death. The RDC also urged police officers to exercise restraint and professionalism when handling violent crowds to prevent similar incidents. At the same time, Matende cautioned members of the public against attacking or provoking armed security personnel, saying such confrontations can quickly escalate into tragic outcomes that might otherwise be avoided through dialogue. Police had not yet issued an official statement on the incident by the time of filing this report-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
