This archive report was first published on 19 October 2019.
On October 14, 2019, a tragic incident occurred in Mutungo, a Kampala suburb, when a Ugandan lawyer was mistaken for a thief and beaten to death.
Peter Kibirango, an advocate with Orima & Co. Advocates, had gone to a Mobile Money kiosk to make a transaction. He mistakenly picked up a customer's phone and a charger, which belonged to a soldier.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesman Luke Owoyesigyire, the soldier, who is currently in police custody, accused Kibirango of stealing his phone. The two men agreed to go to the police to sort out the case, but on the way, a group of boda boda riders joined in and beat Kibirango.
Police later arrived and saved Kibirango after firing several rounds of bullets in the air. He was taken to Mulago Referral Hospital for treatment, but his condition worsened, and he was later shifted to Case Clinic in Kampala, where he died on Friday night.
ASP Owoyesigyire said that suspects have been arrested on charges of murder, including the soldier attached to Immigration Training School in Nakasogola District.
