Student shot dead in rescue attempt

Feb 22, 2014

A student was shot dead in Jinja district as he tried to rescue a neighbor who had been attacked by armed thugs.

By Jackie Nambogga

A student was shot dead in Jinja district as he tried to rescue a neighbor who had been attacked by armed thugs.

Edward Mukembo, 19, was shot twice in the abdomen and in the leg as he intervened to save Eriya Kyakulaga from four men armed with a rifle.

He died instantly, police said, in a late-night attack that happened at Namagera trading centre, Butagaya sub-county

Investigating police officer Nelson Natumanya said the deadly incident occurred at around 2.30am local time (EAT) on Wednesday.

Natumanya, who is attached to the Kiira north division police station, said the teenager was shot at and died right away.

At the time of the incident, Kyakulaga was working in a mobile money shop – he survived unhurt – and said his attackers made off with two mobile phones and sh300,000 cash. One of the phones had sh4.5m on its line, while the other had sh260,000.

They also took personal documents, he said, which included his academic transcripts and land transaction agreements.

The killed teenager was a former student of Hillside Lubanyi Secondary School located in Butagaya sub-county.

He had just completed Senior Four last year and had sat his final (UCE) exams, whose results are expected out this next week.

It was not immediately clear how the thugs engineered their move, but police has opened investigations, with no arrests made yet.

Meanwhile that night, a construction worker in the same district plunged to his death from the third floor of a building under construction.

But it not clear whether Godfrey Katunga was deliberately pushed off the edge or he slipped and fell off.

Jinja district police CID George Ochola reported that the worker died at around 9am local time (EAT). He was a resident of Mbiko, Njeru town council, Buikwe district.

Initial accounts showed that Katunga slipped off a plank of wood he had placed on metallic bars to aid his movement as he worked on the building at Jinja central market.

He worked with VAMBECO Enterprises Limited, the company contracted to do the works.

Budget Mugabirwe, a director of the construction company, regretted the incident.

He said it was the first fatality to occur at the site, but pointed out that the deceased builder had been warned about safety.

Mugabirwe made it clear that the safety officer at the site had cautioned Katunga against working without a safety belt strapped around him, but that he had ignored the call.

It is understood he was given safety gear, including a belt and a helmet. The company said it would meet the burial expenses.

At the scene, police found a shattered helmet, the head of the worker smashed and his arms broken.

Investigations are underway to establish whether the deceased was pushed to his death or it was an accident.

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