By Ali Mambule
A TAXI driver was shot dead by a policeman in Masaka yesterday, sparking off a demonstration in which residents blocked the Nyendo- Masaka road.

An eyewitness, John Ssebyala, said Fred Mugenyi was driving towards Nyendo, a Masaka suburb,
when a traffic Police vehicle approached.

Mugenyi, who reportedly did not have a valid driving permit, ran into a nearby banana plantation. The witness said a policeman followed him.

“A traffic Policeman, identified as Kugonza, chased him. He asked him to walk towards the vehicle but later shot him dead,” Ssebyala said.

In retaliation, angry mechanics, residents and bodaboda riders blocked the road with logs and metal bars.

Policemen, among them the district Police commander, Moses Mwanga, who attempted to quell the situation, were pelted with stones.

The anti-riot Police fired teargas to disperse the crowd, unblocked the road and took the body to Masaka Hospital.

Mwanga said the killer cop has been arrested. He also said investigations were underway to establish the circumstances of the incident.