People Power supporter arrested for attempted suicide

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Robert Kakooza Kwesiga alias Sanya Tim, a resident of Kasokoso Kireka in Kira municipality in Wakiso district is in custody at Kira road police station for attempting to set himself ablaze in the People Power offices.

The Kampala Metropolitan Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango says Kakooza was picked up after he attempted to burn himself in the People Power offices in Kamwokya city suburbs.

Kakooza alleged that while in a People Power procession to Kayunga on July 19th, 2020, for the funeral of the late Charles Mutyabule, police arrested him and impounded his motorcycle. He was released but his motorcycle remained at Nagalama police station.

According to Kakooza, he tried several times to recover his motorcycle from the police station but police officers kept on demanding for money. Kakooza alleges that he informed Fred Nyanzi, the brother of Robert Kyagulanyi, the People Power leader  about his predicament, who promised to help and invited him for a meeting today.

He however says that when he arrived at the People Power offices, Nyanzi only gave him Shillings 40,000 yet he expected Shillings 200,000 which disappointed him prompting to attempt to take his life. He got petrol and doused his body and attempted to torch himself.

But police was informed on time and swung in action. Detectives from Kira road police station recovered a lighter and jacket soaked with petrol among other items. Onyango says police has instituted a team to investigate the corruption allegations made by Kakooza who is in custody at Kira road police station.

At the beginning of this month, a boda boda rider torched himself inside the traffic office at Masaka Central police station following his repeated failure to recover his motorcycle that was impounded for breaching the night time curfew.

Hussein Walugembe entered the police station with petrol in a mineral water bottle concealed in his jacket, which he used to douse his body before he set himself ablaze. Recently, police arrested Mutwahilu Bogere Wasswa, the chairperson of Bweyogerere Bukasa stage in Old Taxi Park in Kampala city for attempted suicide.

Bogere staged in front of City Hall with a five liter jerrycan of petrol and match box with intentions of setting himself ablaze to protest the ban by Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA on taxis without route charts from operating on Burton street.

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