Three young ladies shot during November riots rotting at home

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT | Three patients with bullets wounds and one who was knocked by a police car  in Kampala as the November 18th riots raged are in urgent need of help and are seeking government rescue.

At least four ladies, three of whom were shot with live bullets and one knocked by security operatives are in dire need of medical care. They were taken to hospital, but after having the bullets removed from their bodies, they were sent home and their gunshot wounds are not being attended to by qualified personnel.  They are Jalia Namutebi, Justine Namabo, Shamim Nabirye and Shakira Nyemera.

Jalia Namutebi, was knocked accidentally by a speeding police car, which was driving on the wrong side of the road on Wednesday last week. After the accident she was rushed to a nearby clinic in Nateete, where police came after her and took her to Mulago national referral  hospital. She was bleeding from head and limb injuries.

Namutebi, was briefly attended to by the medical personnel at Mulago but after some days she she says she was asked for 1.5 million shillings, for her to undergo an operation on her injuries.

Because Namutebi did not have the money at hand, she was discharged from her hospital bed and is currently languishing in pain in the corridors of Mulago national referral  hospital causality ward since Saturday 5, 2020.

Shamim Nabirye, 26 and Shakira Nyemera, 28, both residents of Banda in Kampala were shot at by security personnel aboard a speeding security double cabin pickup car during the riots sparked off by the arrest of Robert Sentamu Kyagulanyi, a presidential candidate in the 2021 elections for the National Unity Platform (NUP) party.

Shamim Nabirye,  a five months old pregnant woman was shot with live bullets, leading to an operation that had three babies removed, in order for her to survive at Mulago hospital.

Shakira Nyemera also sustained bullet wounds on 18th November 2020. The two sisters were witnessing what was happening on the road during the riots.

Enid Kabagambe, the mother of the two women Shamim Nabirye, and Shakira Nyemera, says they have been discharged from Mulago referral hospital, without healing properly and need more medical attention, counseling for trauma and compensation.

But Shamim Nabirye, who is still suffering from bullet and the operation wounds is asking for government to fulfill its promise to compensate her for her lost children and injuries as she was not rioting.

For Justine Namambo, she was hit by a stray bullet at Seeta trading centre while traveling in a taxi from Kampala and is currently admitted at Mulago hospital.

Fred Enanga, Police spokesperson says the incidents concerning the victims occurred while they were trying to overcome protesters in the wake of riots.

He says this inconvenienced many innocent Ugandans, whose property was stolen and some injured with blunt objects.

At least 50 people died from bullet wounds during riots that occurred following the arrest of Robert Sentamu Kyagulanyi, the NUP presidential candidate in the 2021 elections. More than 300 have been arrested, detained and arraigned in court while some are still missing and unaccounted for by government.

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