Police responded to four false bomb scares last week

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Apart from the two bombing attacks at Komamboga pork joint and inside a Swift bus along Masaka road, police responded to four other suspicious bombing scares within Kampala metropolitan areas, but found no explosives.

The first Improvised Explosive Device-IED went off at a popular pork joint in Komamboga, killing one female waitress Emily Nyinaneza on the spot, while three others survived with injuries on the 23rd of October.

The second IED exploded two days later inside a Swift bus at Lungala in Mpigi district, where one person identified as Isaac Matovu alias Muzafaru, and believed to be the bomber was left dead.

Fred Enanga, the police spokesperson said in the same week, the police counter terrorism and bomb squad teams responded to four other suspicious terror scares reported by the general public in Katabi town council, Nsambya, Ggaba, and along Gayaza road, but none had any explosives.

Enanga said: “Our response team from the aviation bomb squad responded following a suspicious bag that was abandoned at Katabi playground, but our teams found that there were clothes. Here at Nsambya Sharing Hall, we also responded to a teargas canister. And our team from the field force unit removed it but we cannot take any reported scare for granted.”

He added: “We also responded to an abandoned numberless motor vehicle along Ggaba road next to the United States Embassy, and we established that it belongs to Andrew Tumwogerwa, who is a staff member of the embassy. We again responded to Akamwesi mall on Gayaza road, another abandoned bag with clothes was also found there.”

Commissioner Enanga however warns the public to remain vigilant because the soft targets by the terrorists are many: “Their targets are still many and it may become difficult to be guarded by security teams. Most of these places include restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, markets, public transport means, and religious places among others.”

Police has called upon agencies, ministries, departments and business centers, churches to review and increase security in this period of uncertainty.

At least 48 people have so far been apprehended in the operations conducted by joint security agencies on allegations of participating in planting explosives in the country.

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