Iron bar hit men go on rampage

Dec 25, 2011

There has been an upsurge in attacks by iron bar hitmen, resulting in numerous victims being admitted to Mulago Hospital.

By Norman Katende                       

There has been an upsurge in attacks by iron bar hitmen, resulting in numerous victims being admitted to Mulago Hospital. Several people have been attacked in different parts of Kampala this week.

The victims were mainly motorcycle (boda boda) riders, who are assaulted by thugs posing as passengers at night. The robbers use iron bars to hit their victims, mostly on the neck or head. The robbers then take off with the motorcycles and other valuables, abandoning the victims in deserted areas.

The Police are calling for calm, saying they have increased patrols and will apprehend the criminals.

 “We have noted their areas of operation and increased our patrols accordingly. We are also making more arrests and we can assure Ugandans that they are safe. It is going to end soon,” explained Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Andrew Kaweesa.

At Mulago, six victims were admitted on Thursday morning in Ward 3A. The Police and Mulago Hospital officials said at least three people are admitted everyday after being attacked by iron bar hitmen.

Among the victims is a boda boda cyclist, Moses Walusimbi, who was hit on the head and had his motorcycle stolen in, Lusaka zone, Makindye.

Another victim, identified as Eddy Kiviiri, was hit by his passenger at Wakaligga in Nateete. Like Walusimbi, the hitman made off with Kiviiri’s motorcycle.

Similarly, another cyclist, Aziz Kaliisa, 20, was attacked in Mengo after two passengers hired him to transport them from Namungoona. And Hassan Kasolo, 23, was beaten by passengers, who had asked him to take them to Kavumba Recreation Ground from Wakiso.

Margaret Namirembe, a resident of Makerere, is the unique victim in these attacks that seem to target cyclists. She was assaulted during a dawn attack in Seeta, where she has a business.

Police say places such as Nalukolongo, Kabusu, Mengo, Kavumba, Nansana and Mukono are on red alert as this is where such crimes are mostly reported.

“We have increased deployment and we are weeding them out,” said Kaweesa. “If we find you with an iron bar or any suspicious item, we will not let you go free. We want people to have a happy festive season.”

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