According to eyewitnesses, People power youths attacked Sipapa who was driving a Super custom vehicle registration number UBE 229E and broke his windscreen prompting two men who were driving with him to fire in the air and shops.
Survivors of the shooting involving music promoter Charles
Olim alias Sipapa in Kamwokya city suburbs on Saturday last week are demanding
for justice.
Two men moving with Sipapa are said to have opened fire when a
group of People Power supporters confronted them shortly after parking in front
of the premises of Fred Nyanzi, the elder brother of Robert Kyagulanyi alias
Bobi Wine, the head of the National Unity Platform party.
According to eyewitnesses, People power youths attacked
Sipapa who was driving a Super custom vehicle registration number UBE 229E and
broke his windscreen prompting two men who were driving with him to
fire in the air and shops.
Gilbert Mugisha operates a shop on Nyanzi’s building. According
to Mugisha, he was serving his customers around 9 am on the fateful day, when
chaos broke out after a group of accused Sipapa of threatening to shoot them on
various occasions.
He explains that a few minutes later two men jumped out of
Sipapa’s vehicle and started shooting at them directly. Mugisha explains that he ducked for cover and a bullet hit the doorstep of his
shop where he was standing.
Luganda Audio
//Cue: “amasasi negavuga…
Cue: …nagwa wansi//”
He says the same group returned around 9 pm and parked in the
middle of the road and started asking if there anyone who had wanted to say
anything about the earlier incident.
Luganda Audio
//Cue: “Sipapa yenyini nakomawo…
Cue: …mukilo,”//
Elizabeth Namagembe, a salon operator says they locked up themselves inside
their premises when the shooting started, adding that one of their colleagues
collapsed due to the heavy sound of gunfire.
Namagembe also notes that no police officer stepped foot in
the area until the next day despite the fact that Kira Road police is short
distance away.
Luganda Audio
//Cue: “it was a shock…
Cue: …police did not show up //”
Muzafaru Nyombi, who is nursing a broken leg and wounded eye, says the same
group returned on Saturday night and pounced on him as he was planning to
return home. They reportedly accused him of being one of the people who
attacked them during the day.
According to Nyombi, he opened a case against Sipapa
and wants him arrested to answer for assault.
Luganda Audio
//Cue: “police elage obwenkanya…
Cue: …bankuba //”
Fred Nyanzi says despite opening a case at Kira Road Police
Station they see Sipapa moving around freely. According to Nyanzi, this is the
third time that Sipapa is making a similar attack.
“We’re going mobilize ourselves all these people who were
affected that day to pinch a demonstration at Kira road police we demand police
to arrest Sipapa and charge him,” Nyanzi told URN.
Sipapa has not yet commented as he could neither pick nor return calls to our
reporter. The Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, says
the matter is being investigated. He says police detectives recovered bullet
cartridges that will help to establish the owner of the firearm
Mugisha James
Freelancer