Kampala, Uganda | URN | President Yoweri Museveni has said an incident where an explosive was let off in Kampala on Saturday 23, October 2021 night seems to be a terrorist act.
The said explosion occurred at around 9.00 p.m. at a small eatery called Georon next to the famous Digida Pork Joint in Komamboga. The explosion reportedly left one person dead and several others injured.
Communicating through his Twitter handle on Sunday 24, October 2021 morning, President Museveni noted that he has been briefed that the said explosive might have been planted by a group of three people.
“Three people came and left a package in a kaveera (plastic bag) which later on exploded, killing one person and injuring five others. It seems to be a terrorist act but we shall get the perpetrators,” his statement reads in part.
The president adds that police specialists are on the ground investigating the whole incident and at later stage they will give the nation more information on the suspected terrorist attack and guidelines on vigilance by the Public dealing with these possible terrorists.
“The public should not fear; we shall defeat this criminality like we have defeated all the other criminality committed by the pigs who don’t respect life,” the president added. Although the president decried the bombing as a possible terrorist act, security agencies are yet to comment on who they believe is responsible for the explosion.
Currently, the scene of crime has been condoned off by police with most of the roads leading to the place sealed off. However, a big crowd of resident have gathered behind the police line which has been placed almost 50 meres from the scene. Meanwhile, the attacked place seems to be in the blind spot from the national CCTV cameras.
What happened?
Noah Mukasa Sserumaga, one of the area leaders told this publication that the explosion was heard minutes to 9:00pm at Digida eating point. Moments later, the area was engulfed in smoke and sounds of people crying for help.
“…we do not know whether it was indeed a bomb, but one girl, an employee of the same place is dead. Seven others have been rushed to hospital,” Mukasa said. The deceased has been identified as Emily.
Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson, said that teams from the bomb squad have responded to calls from the scene and the casualties have been rushed to Mulago hospital for treatment.
“The blast happened at Digida eating point, Komamboga, in Kawempe Division. One person has been fatally wounded and seven others rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital, with serious injuries,” Enanga said in a brief statement.
He added that the scene had been cordoned off, and joint task teams from the bomb squad called to thoroughly document the scene, to determine whether the explosion arose out of an intentional act or not.
“We ask the public to remain calm, as we establish the true circumstances surrounding the incident,” Enanga added.
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However, sources in the Counter-terrorism and crime intelligence say that the blast could not have been a bomb blast since there were no flammable materials like gas cylinders.
On October 14, 2021 the United Kingdom and France warned of a possible terrorists’ attack in Uganda. However, police reportedly said that there was no need to elevate the threat levels.
Earlier in the morning, our reporters visited the scene but revealed that it has since been cordoned off by various security agencies who cannot allow people to enter inside and observe what the scene looks like following the explosion.
However, some sources who preferred anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matters say that the blast left behind a huge hole at the Centre of where people were seated and that some fragments hit people and cars as far as 100 meters.
Going by President Museveni’s words that this was a terrorism act through use of a bomb, it would mean that this is the second time the suspected terrorists are hitting Uganda with a bomb.
Uganda last suffered a major terror attack on July 11, 2010 after a militant Islamist group, Al-Shabab, killed over 75 people in a Kampala twin-bombing as hundreds watched a football World Cup final match.
But in the aftermath 14 people were arrested and of these, nine were found guilty and sentenced to a punishment ranging between 35 years to 50 years in jail while others were given life imprisonment by the then High Court Judge Alfonse Owiny-Dollo’s in 2016.
