Robbers shoot dead Kajjansi policeman

By Charles Etukuri

KAJJANSI - A police officer attached to Kajjansi police station has been shot dead by robbers, the police has said.

Cadet Officer Joseph Bigirwa, who was the officer-in-charge of Kajjansi police station, was killed Friday night as he responded to distressed calls for help.

Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson, Ibin Ssenkumbi confirmed the incident saying the thugs also robbed a petrol station, a Mobile Money point, a car and seriously wounded two people.

The incident occurred at around 11:40pm local time (EAT).

According to Ssenkumbi, an unknown number of thugs dressed in civilian attire and armed with two SMG rifles (guns) attacked GAZ petrol station and a Mobile Money point which is located within the petrol station.

“They put all the pump attendants and the Mobile Money operators at gun point,” he said.

“They fired several bullets in the air during the robbery.  The assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Bigirwa, who was within the vicinity, responded to the gunfire by shooting at the thugs using his pistol.

“He was shot in the chest and stomach by one of the thugs and he died instantly,” said Ssenkumbi.

 The robbers made off with sh11m from the Mobile Money agent and over sh200,000 from the pump attendants.

They also robbed a motor vehicle of registration number UAS 875J Toyota Raum which they used to escape from the scene.

The vehicle belonged to a one Sarah Kintu, a customer who had come to refuel.  The vehicle was later found abandoned in Mutundwe, a city suburb.

Some of the injured were rushed to Mulago hospital.

Bigirwa becomes the second police officer to be killed in the line of duty.  PPC Nelson Tugume was killed while on duty in Nalumunye near Jomayi in Wakiso district, where he had gone for an operation to recover a gun from thugs terrorizing the area.

Two thugs were also killed in the process and they have since been identified as Nyanzi Kabali Christopher and Mwembazi Martin. Others escaped.