By Spy Uganda
A Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier is in custody after he was arrested over allegations of shooting a reverend dead on Wednesday morning, in Karusandara village, Kasese District.
Rev. Benon Musimenta, who was a lay leader set to be ordained later this year, was shot dead by a UPDF soldier (Names Withheld on request) as he rode on a motorcycle with his wife Allen Musimenta.
It is alleged that on the fateful day, the UPDF soldier together with others had laid ambush along the road to nab people stealing construction materials along the Hoima-Kasese Highway. So when he saw Rev. Musimenta and his wife approaching when it was still a bit dark, he opened fire, killing the Reverend instantly and wounding his wife terribly.
Wife Demands For Justice
Allen Musimenta, the widow, wants a thorough investigation into the shooting and justice for her husband.
Musimenta said that she was riding with her husband on a motorcycle at around 7:00Am heading to the garden in Kanamba village, Karusandara sub-county in in Kasese District before they met soldiers at Karungibati along Hima-Kasese road.
“The UPDF soldiers who were standing on both sides of the road stopped us and before they could talk to us, I saw one of them crossing the road from one side before opening fire at my husband. The motorcycle lost control, my husband and I fell down as he bled profusely. He was shot in the neck,” Musimenta narrated the shocking ordeal.
Her husband, a father of eight, was a lay leader of Kogore COU (Anglican) under the South Ruwenzori diocese and was to be ordained Reverend in November this year, according to the widow.
She explained that she was stunned by the soldiers’ actions because she and her late husband never defied the orders given to them.
Gideon Ntabose, the district vice chairperson asked for an explanation from the security agencies in Kasese district.
“They (security operatives) beat you up once you stop and now have started shooting! We surely need an explanation to this. I once rescued someone at this very point after being beaten by the UPDF officers to near death,” Ntabose said.
However, at the time of filing this article the UPDF spokesperson Brig. Richard Karemire was yet to issue an official statement about this tragedy.
