Assistant Inspector General of Police survives armed attack at his home in Kira

Even before the assassination of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Andrew Felix Kaweesi has been resolved, another police officer of equal rank escaped an attack by determined assailants who raided the well-guarded residence in the dead of the night over the weekend.

On Friday night, the assailants reportedly skillfully scaled the perimeter walls of the homes neighbouring the top-ranking officer’s residence and successfully made it into the interior of the target’s home located in Kira Municipality, Wakiso district.

Sources have told URN that police and sister security agencies are trying to establish the motive of the foiled attack on one of the country’s top security officers. Uganda now has 13 officers at the rank of AIGP, five were only promoted recently. The survivor of Friday’s attack is one of eight longest-serving AIGPs. It is reported that the AIGP was only saved by the guard who was stationed right inside at around 2 am who was able to repulse the attackers who had surrounded the house. 

“The guard manning the inner ring of the AIGP’s home repulsed the attackers,” the source said. “Before infiltrating into the AIGP’s home, the thugs first scaled over the neighbours’ homes. Kira and Kasangati police patrols were alerted and they rushed to reinforce the AIGP’s security detail.”

URN understands that KMP police headquarters at Kampala Central police station was notified about the incident. KMP East top commanders ranging from Regional CID boss, regional operations commander and overall regional police commander spent the better part of Saturday morning at the AIGP’s home trying to reconstruct the attackers’ movement.

A message that was shared with some of the police commanders read. “They broke into the home and that of the neighbour. A team of SOCOs are on the ground. They are going to be joined by a team from KMP East.”

Police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, said he was not aware of the attack on AIGP’s and referred our reporter to deputy KMP spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, who also said he was yet to be briefed about it.

Kira Municipality and neighbouring places have recently been making news because of numerous attacks. People have been attacked, injured or killed in areas of Namugongo, Naalya, Kiwatule, Kira, Buwate, Najjera, Bweyogerere and Kasangati.

AIGP Kaweesi was assassinated on March 17, 2017, and it is now five years and seven months since, but his death is yet to be solved. Numerous suspects have been arrested, tortured, awarded hundreds of millions in compensation for the torture by investigators, and released on bail, but the state has never produced evidence needed for conviction.

The media reports so far indicate that investigation of the murder of AIGP Kaweesi alongside his bodyguard Kenneth Erau and driver Godfrey Wambewo was either terribly incompetent or diversionary. At some stage, the investigations turned comical after the self-confessed suspects failed to locate the assassination scene in Kulambiro.

URN