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Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Leaders in the Busoga sub-region have asked government agencies to tighten restrictions on the use of firearms.
Speaking at the burial of 33-year-old Tony Bagalama, who was on Sunday shot dead by a security guard of Wolves security company, the leaders said that cases of gun misuse are becoming common over time and there is a need for strict guidelines to curb the vice.
Samuel Akalya’mawa, the male councillor of Buyengo town council said that there is a need for increased supervision of the operations of private security companies since most of their staff lack the basics of firearms management.
Akalya’mawa notes that some security operatives act unprofessionally while conducting enforcement during electoral processes and the culprits are never prosecuted.
Haruna Muzilu, the LCIII Chairperson of Kyanvuma town council, in Luuka district, argues that, rather than focusing on political groups alone, the government should partner with owners of private security organs, in a drive to equip their staff with ideological skills in anger management.
The Jinja LCV Chairperson, Moses Batwala argues that shooting unarmed civilians is an act of backwardness, which should never be tolerated in society.
Batwala notes that, in extreme cases where civilians engage in fights with armed individuals, security officials ought to shoot to disable, rather than kill them.
Batwala allays that, consistency in streamlining the standard operating procedures of armed forces in extensively challenging situations is key to eliminating firearms-related criminality.
Joseph Ikoona, the male district councillor representing Butagaya sub-county says that the Jinja district has registered several cases of misuse of firearms, however, the prosecution of suspects has not been successful.
The Kiira regional police spokesperson, James Mubi says that they have secured viable leads to the suspect implicated in the shooting of Bagalama and efforts of ensuring his arrest are underway.
Mubi says that Kiira region has been at the forefront of fighting firearm-related crimes from 11 cases reported in 2022 to two cases in 2024.
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