The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Police and the army have reneged on their promise to fly out a woman who was hit by a stray bullet during the November 18th, 2021 triggered by the arrest of the National Unity Platform-NUP president, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.
28-year-old Justine Namambo is suffering in excruciating pain at home in Seeta in Mukono district after going through partial surgery at Mulago Specialised National Referral Hospital to remove a bullet that got stuck in her spinal code. According to Namambo, after the operation doctors advised her to go for another surgery abroad to remove the fragments of the bullets that remained in her spine cord since they had failed.
It is at this point that her family appealed to the government to come to their rescue and facilitate Namambo’s travel abroad for the required surgery to save her life. A team from the Uganda Police Force and UPDF led by the Assistant Inspector General of Police- AIGP Asan Kasingye visited the victim’s family and promised to fly her to India for other operations.
However, to date nothing has been done while Namambo’s condition continues deteriorating. Speaking to Uganda Radio Network- URN at Naguru Police headquarters on Wednesday, Kasingye, who doubles at the political commissar in the Police, says the promise was made but it was meant to be fulfilled by the army not the police.
“It was supposed to be UPDF to handle those matters of taking her abroad for better medical treatment but not the police,” said Kasingye. Adding that,” I don’t know much at the moment how that plan is progressing.”
The Deputy UPDF and Defense Ministry Spokesperson, Lt. Col Deo Akiiki, said he was not aware of the promise of transporting Namambo abroad for treatment as the family claims. “I’m not privy to that promise. I thought the process was done by the police I will find out,” said Akiiki”.
Denis Ssegujja, the victim’s brother says that they had expected the army and police to fulfil their promise to take his abroad for treatment by December last year. “The preparations we had were that she doesn’t go beyond December if police and army had fulfilled its promise to support us. But now we’re in January and they haven’t said anything to us,” said Ssegujja.
He says they have lost hope in government support because of the contradicting statements from the security forces.
Segujja notes that they plan to start a fundraising drive in the media to save his sister’s life.
Over 50 lives were lost during the November 18th-19th riots that occurred in Kampala and other parts of the country.
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