Security guard shoots street Kid dead in Mbale

Mbale, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |   Street children have rampaged in Mbale city protesting the killing of one of their own by a private security guard. The street children rose up in arms on Tuesday morning accusing a guard from Security 2000 for killing their colleague on Monday night.    

The rowdy street children broke into shops along Pallisa road in Mbale town. Some of the residents, who witnessed the shooting, said the guard opened fire after the unnamed street child tried to break into one of the shops on Mpologoma building along Pallisa road.     

Erick Kamugo, a driver and eye witness to the shooting claims that the security guard was guarding a vehicle in front of Mpologama and saw street kids tampering with it and asked them to leave in vain.

He says one of the kids pelted the guard with stones prompting him to shoot back killing the street child instantly. 

Fahad Lukwago, an eye witness says that after the shooting the Street boys picked up the deceased’s body and laid it on the doorsteps of the shops on the building. 

They later started throwing stones and destroyed property in protest of their colleague’s death. 

Isaac Sebi, a resident of Mbale town blames the mess on the laxity of security to address the menace of street kids. He says the number of Street children in the town has become a security threat to people operating in the town. 

Saalim Kasuse, a butcher on Mpologoma building, says he found the streets kids vandalising shops when he arrived around 6:00 AM on Tuesday morning.

However, some sources told URN that the security opened fire after he asked the children who have sleeping on the verandah of Mpologoma building to leave in vain. The Elgon Region Police Spokesperson, Rogers Taitika couldn’t be reached for comment. 

However, one of the Police Officers who was on the operation to calm down the situation told URN that they have arrested 4 street children and the guard in connection to the incident.

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URN