Kikandwa businessman was killed by accident, says suspected shooter

The suspected killer of businessman Herman Kiyaga has reportedly told police that the deceased was not the intended target of the fatal shooting during a robbery.

The confession was made by Gerald Muyingo, the alleged shooter, who was arrested along with three other suspects just ten days after the murder. Kiyaga, who owned mobile money and wholesale shops in Kikandwa, Wakiso district, was attacked by armed men at his business at around 8 p.m. a fortnight ago.

Kiyaga was in the shop with one of his wives, counting the day’s sales, when the assailants, who appeared to have conducted prior surveillance, struck. CCTV camera footage from the scene captured the men demanding money in Luganda as Kiyaga’s wife pleaded for mercy.

She threw some money at the attackers, but they continued to demand more, firing bullets in the process. During a police and military interrogation on Wednesday, Muyingo, 28, stated that their mission was not to kill Kiyaga.

“We came here on the orders of our boss who said they [Kiyaga] had a lot of money and often count it in the evening hours. My mission was to fire bullets scaring them and nearby people. But he was killed by mistake,” Muyingo said.

After the confession, the suspects were taken for a scene reconstruction, where Muyingo showed police where he had hidden the gun after the robbery. The four suspects include two boda-boda riders who were intended to facilitate their escape, as well as two other accomplices identified as Ivan and Kayibanda.

Ironically, one of the robbers was accidentally wounded by Muyingo’s bullet during the scuffle.

“In the scuffle to scare the business operators to give us money, one of our colleagues was also shot. He had arrived earlier pretending to be a client. He is the one who revealed information which has led to our arrest,” Muyingo confessed.

Kakiri Division Police Commander, SP Gerald Abasa, urged residents to cooperate with security agencies by reporting criminal activities.

“The police is yours. The military is yours. We are all here and mandated to protect you. Your role is to alert us about the criminals terrorizing you. We promised you that we would arrest these robbers and we have them all,” Abasa said.

Kiyaga’s murder is the latest in a series of similar attacks in the region. His death came just three days after Kasangati businessman Deo Bwanika was also killed in a similar evening attack.

Last Sunday, another businessman, Anthony Mutinisa, was gunned down by his private security guard and personal assistant, Hillary Byaruhanga, who fled with his new Land Cruiser V8. Byaruhanga and an accomplice, Mark Akampa, were later arrested in Kanungu district while attempting to flee to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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