State Minister for Labour Co l(Rtd) Charles Engola Macodwogo was today morning shot and killed by his bodyguard at his home in Kyanja, it is reported that the UPDF bodyguard went on a shooting spree, shouting his grievances.
According to info we received, the bodyguard targeted the minister as he left home for work. In the resultant melee, he first shot two of his fellow UPDF guards who were severely injured.
“The man kept on shouting on the streets while shooting “….I work for a whole minister and yet I’m broke..” comedian Patrick Idringi also known as Salvador tweeted.
The armed UPDF guard would later turn the gun onto the minister as he boarded his official vehicle to work later turned the gun on himself.
“This morning we registered a tragic incident that occurred in Kyanja. We would like to confirm that Col(Rtd) Charles Engola was shot dead while entering his vehicle to go for work. The shooting was done by one of his bodyguards at his residence in Kyanja who fired several shots at close range,” Police spokesperson Fred Enanga said on Tuesday morning.
He said after shooting the minister at close range and killing him instantly, the bodyguard then fled the scene to the nearby trading centre along Kyanja ring road where he entered the salon and shot himself dead.
Enanga said the Police deputy Inspector General of Police, Maj Gen Geoffrey Tumusiime Katsigazi and the Criminal Investigations Director, AIGP Tom Magambo have rushed to the scene.
The police spokesperson confirmed the deceased shooter as Private Wilson Sabiti who also injured the minister’s aide-de-camp(ADC), Lt Ronald Otim and another unnamed guard to the minister.
According to an eyewitness , after killing his boss, the deceased UPDF soldier stormed out of the minister’s residence while shooting in the air.
“He ran out of the gate shooting in the air prompting everyone to run for their dear life. The soldier later ran to a nearby salon which was open and it is there that he shot himself dead from. He sat in one of the salon’s chairs and pointed the gun to his neck before finishing himself off,” a neighbour to the deceased’s minister said.
According to eyewitnesses, the UPDF soldier (bodyguard) who shot Charles Okello Engola, was not hostile to civilians as he made his way from the Minister's home in Kyanja to a nearby salon, where he ended his own life. They say that he only asked them to get out of his way.… pic.twitter.com/qWG05CaAMr
— Daily Monitor (@DailyMonitor) May 2, 2023
The deceased minister last made a public appearance on Monday during the International Labour Day celebrations in Namutumba district.
