Africa-Press – Uganda. The machete wielding assailants who are currently terrorising residents in Masaka, Lwengo, Bukomansimbi and Lyantonde have now crossed to the neighboring districts of Rakai and Kyotera, Daily Monitor has learnt.
Two people have so far been killed in Rakai and Kyotera districts.
Silvern Ssekalaala, 32, a farmer and resident of Kijjumba village in Lwanda Sub County, Rakai District was killed in the wee hours of Sunday, at about 3am, while Sulaight Ssekanjako, a resident of Kololo Cell in Mutukula Town Council, Kyotera District was reportedly killed last night at about 7pm, as he left his shop in Mutukula Town.
Ssekalaala died on the spot while Ssekanjako while being rushed to Kalisizo Hospital in Kyotera District.
This pushes the total number of deaths in the Greater Masaka to 27 in just one month.
Authorities in Kyotera and Rakai districts recently tasked the Sub County chairpersons to mobilize residents to protecting themselves by sounding drums, jerry cans, whistles and all kinds of items that can produce sound to alert fellow residents in case of an attack.
This was after leaflets with intimidating messages had been dropped in different areas of Nabigasa, Kasensero and Mutukula over the weekend.
In the leaflets, residents were threatened that they would be killed, unless they prepared sums of money ranging from Shs500,000 to Shs1m.
Mr Patrick Kintu Kisekulo the Kyotera District Chairperson told Daily Monitor that “it’s high time residents teamed up to fight back lest more lives will be lost recklessly.”
He added that various security meetings have been held and all residents are urged to be more vigilant.
However, security has refuted claims that the killings in Rakai and Kyotera are related to the ongoing assailant killings as they insist these were just thieves who targeted material things.
“We have investigated and found out that these were thieves who targeted a mobile money agent. They however crossed to no man’s land and there’s no way an armed person could attack them,” said Mr Moses Ddumba the Kyotera Resident District Commissioner (RDC).
Ms Agnes Namusiitwa the Kyotera District Vice chairperson, on the other hand, said the residents are in great shock and need massive protection from the security agencies.
“There’s no way we can take this for granted yet we are hearing continuous deaths in our border districts of Masaka, Lwengo and Lyantonde. We need immediate intervention from the security agencies because it’s their obligation to keep our lives safe,” she said.
