Police disown Boda 2010 goons who beat up own officer, school kids

Police have distanced themselves from a group of Boda Boda 2010 members who beat up a police officer, crime preventer and school kids early this week.

On Tuesday, the group stopped a bus belonging to Winter Land Primary School in Kyebando carrying pupils who were heading to Nkumba to perform at the police day celebrations beating the police officer who was escorting the bus, before injuring a crime preventer who was also in the bus.

The incident that happened at Busega roundabout attracted criticism from the public to police towards police for not taking action on the goons who terrorised innocent people.

Police spokesperson Asan Kasingye has however come out to clear the air on the group that is famous of terrorising fellow boda boda riders in the city.

“It is not true that these attackers were working alongside or under instructions of police,”Kasingye said in a statement released on Thursday evening.

In a rare occasion, a police officer was seen with teary eyes as he narrated the unprecedented incident that happened as he escorted the school bus to Entebbe.

“There is no justification for beating and injuring someone. Who deployed them there? We shall battle in court with them,” AIP Abraham Bbaale, the Community Liaison Officer at Kawempe police station who was escorting the school bus said.

The children were also seen crying inside the bus after their teachers being beaten.

Jamilu Kiragga, 30, a crime preventer was beaten to the pulp before he was later rushed to hospital.

Documents from Nsambya hospital indicated that his head had been damaged after the assault.

However, the police mouthpiece says that investigations into the incident have started adding that culprits will face a strong action from the enforcers of law and order.

“We shall leave no stone unturned in arresting all those who were involved in this crime, “he says.

Kasingye also warned the public to desist from and any other groups of people to refrain from taking the law into their hands as was witnessed on Tuesday.

In another rare incident, one of the goons, putting on dark shades threatened to continue with their acts adding that they would beat whoever disrupts peace.

“Even police officers will be beaten. We will break their jaws,” a member of the Boda Boda 2010 was recorded by media on Tuesday in Busega.

The group almost beat up police officers led by Nateete OC Muhammad Byansi who had come to calm the situation.

As police tried to arrest the culprits, a fight erupted and they beat officers who later abandoned the course.

The public will anxiously wait to see what is done after similar statements by police have been recently made in relation to members of Boda Boda 2010.

In July, Police in Wakaliga, a Kampala suburb had to fire bullets to disperse two rival boda boda factions, one of them being Boda Boda 2010 who were fighting.

Armed with weapons like pangas, hoes, sticks, machetes the boda boda factions fought, injuring each other whereas property including boda bodas and vehicles were vandalized.

In all incidents, orchestrators of the violence involving Boda Boda 2010 have not been brought to book.

There are unconfirmed reports that Abdalla Kitatta, the proprietor of Boda Boda 2010 is connected to the Inspector General of Police, Gen.Kale Kayihura.

“Members are encouraged to report crime to police where they suspect a crime has been or is about to be committed,” Kasingye says.