MUBENDE .Police in Mubende District are investigating circumstances under which one of their own police opened fire during a chaotic confrontation with residents at a farm in Madudu Sub-county, Mubende District, injuring on person.
Workers at Formasa Farm in Madudu Sub-county, Mubende District, were left in shock after the suspect shot and seriously injured a farm worker Olivier Buguseengi, leaving his intestines exposed.
Eyewitnesses said the weekend incident occurred around 11 a.m. when police officers, accompanied by more than 30 residents, descended on the farm in search of allegedly stolen pigs.
John Bosco Shabushimik, one of the workers, said a woman had reported that her pigs had been stolen and that police demanded access to the farm to verify the claim.
“When they asked for the farm manager, I gave them his number, and they proceeded to the pigsty, where they found two pigs which claimed they were stolen from them ,” he said.
He added that the workers had earlier confined the pigs after finding them destroying tree seedlings.
“It’s not the first time we’ve done that. Whenever animals destroy our seedlings, we take them to the sty and alert the owners to pick them up ,” he explained.
According to Shabushimik, tension erupted when residents started accusing the farm workers of theft,which wasn’t true.
“They wanted to take the pigs without the manager’s consent. When we resisted, police started shooting, and that’s when my colleague Buguseengi was shot . His intestines came out,” he narrated.
Another worker, Norman Mbabazi, said Buguseengi was arranging seedlings in a nursery bed when police opened fire, sustaining bullet wounds in the back and stomach.
“They shot several times trying to disperse us, but what shocked us most was how they shot my colleague,” he said.
Nicholas Asiimwe , the farm manager said he was on his way to the farm when he received a phone call informing him that police had arrived, followed by another call reporting the shooting.
“What they did to our employee is unacceptable. For years, police have been biased against us. Animals from neighboring farms often destroy our seedlings, but nothing is done. Now our boy is in hospital in critical condition,” he stated.
Video footage obtained by this publication shows angry farm workers surrounding the policemen, armed with pangas, spades, and hoes, warning them not to take the pigs.
Dr Emmanuel Mugabi from True Vine Medical Centre confirmed that Buguseengi sustained two bullet wounds — one in the back and another in the stomach — and was in critical condition.
Wamala Regional Police Spokesperson Mr Racheal Kawala said the shooting resulted from a stray bullet fired as officers attempted to disperse violent workers.
“When our officers went to search for the pigs, the workers turned violent and attacked them. In an attempt to disperse them, officers shot in the air, but unfortunately, one of the workers was hit by a stray bullet,” she said.
Kawala added that one of the police officers was injured in the scuffle and that three workers, including the farm manager, were arrested, but later released on bond as investigations into the shooting continue .