The family of a minor who was shot by security operatives during an operation in Kampala is pleading for justice and compensation.
Christine Ainembabazi, a charcoal vendor in Namere zone in Kawempe Division in Kampala cannot forget January 9th, 2022 when her 8-year-old son Ibrahim Kidawalime was shot by suspected operatives from the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence-CMI during an operation.
Kidawalime, who is still undergoing routine treatment at St. Stephen’s hospital Mpererwe, was shot twice in the leg and stomach as he was playing with other kids near his mother’s stall. Ainembabazi explains that fateful day, one of the officers released two bullets that missed the suspect they were chasing and caught her son but the officers didn’t stop.
“The first bullet caught his leg and the second bullet ripped through his stomach and left his intestines out. After shooting my baby, the officers continued chasing the suspect. It is only by God’s grace that my son is still alive even if he is still in pain,” Ainembazi narrates.
She explains that UPDF officers led by the deputy spokesperson Lt. Col Ronald Kakurungu visited the hospital on January 11th, 2022 where they expressed their regrets about the shooting.
According to Ainembazi, the officers committed to paying the minor’s medical bills. She says that army officers returned to the hospital last week and cleared a bill of Shillings 10 million, which is half of the total bill. Ainembazi says that the hospital is still reluctant to conduct the second operation before all bills are cleared.
Ainembabazi notes that ever since their child was shot, they haven’t heard anything related to compensation for the damage to their son.
Her husband, Abdulla Kimuli who abandoned his taxi-driving job, calls for the arrest and prosecution of the operative who released the bullets that nearly ended his son’s life.
The UPDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Flex Kulaigye couldn’t be reached for comment as he neither picked nor returned repeated calls from our reporter. The Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said the case is still under investigation by the Kawempe Police Division.
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