Peter Kibirango: Lawyer succumbs to injuries from a mob attack that suspected him of stealing a phone

The law fraternity in mourning the death of one of their own, Peter Kibirango, who died on Friday night after succumbing to injuries.

He had been admitted in the Intensive Care Unit at Case Hospital where he had been admitted four days ago after an attack that saw his skull fractured and jaw broken among other injuries.

An earlier statement by the Uganda Law Society to which he was a member on Friday indicated that after withdrawing money from a mobile money point, he was trailed and assaulted by unknown assailants.

“The Uganda Law Society demands that Uganda Police carry out a thorough investigation into the attack and people responsible for the injustice be charged in accordance with the Penal Code Act,” read in part, a statement by the ULS president, Simon Peter Kinobe.

However, according to the deputy Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, the incident that happened on October 14 saw the lawyer attacked by a mob.

He said that on the fateful day, the lawyer went to a mobile money agent in Mutungo to withdraw some money and in his hands was a charger and a mobile phone.

“The mobile money point was being manned by one Ivan and several people were also present at the mobile money point. The victim one Peter Kibirango then placed his charger on top of a phone that was on top of the counter of the mobile money point,”Owoyesigyire explained.

He noted that the phone belonged to one Sergent Gad Twijukye, a soldier attached to the Immigration Training School in Nakasongola .

“Upon finishing with the transaction Kibirango carried both the charger and the phone which he had found at the counter (mistaking both to be his).”

According to police, when the soldier realized that his phone had gone missing after Kibirango had left the mobile money point, he Twijukye) and the mobile money agent run after him and demanded he returns the phone.

“He declined knowledge of the same and all parties agreed to go to Mutungo Police. However before they could reach the police post, Twijukye saw the phone in Kibirango’s pocket and showed it to him. He (Kibirango) later apologized to the owner admitting that he had mistaken it for being his.”

It is said that Sergent Twijukye and the mobile money agent didn’t listen to the lawyers’ apology but started beating him mercilessly before being joined by boda boda riders who accused Kibirango of being a thief.

“We received information that there was a suspected thief being subjected to mob action and our officers responded by firing bullets in the air to disperse the crowd and saved Kibirango who was bleeding profusely. He was then rushed to Mulago hospital for medical care,”Owoyesigyire said.