Explosion in Kasese District
Police and other security operatives are yet to establish whether an explosive device that went off, injuring two children and an adult in Kogere cell Nyamwamba Division, Kasese Municipality, was planted.
On Tuesday evening, a device reportedly kept in a scrap store detonated at about 8:00 PM leaving two children Gilbert Mumbere, 11, and Festo Mbale, 13, injured and in a coma. The adult, Jovia Musoki, 30, escaped the attack with minor injuries.
Locals allege that the children, who usually scout for scrap to sell from the vicinity, returned home last night with the metallic device they claim to have collected from a nearby UPDF training ground and dumped it in a scrap store. The device exploded moments after it was placed on the ground.
Locals fear that having an army training base close to where civilians reside exposes the public to many dangers especially now that the country is battling terrorism activities.
Herbert Bwambale, the area councillor wants UPDF to shift the training ground from the community to an isolated place for safety purposes.
Explosion in Kasese District
“My appeal to [the] government is to shift them. In the previous years, they used to train from isolated areas like Kabukhero. So let the government find places where civilians can’t access to train its soldiers.”
ASP Tumwine Marutsya, the acting Rwenzori East Police spokesperson, says a team of experts will visit the scene on Wednesday and carry out further investigations to establish if the metallic device was a planted bomb.
“Police has already secured some exhibits, the victims are at Kilembe Mines Hospital and the scrap store has been sealed off for investigation. The army training ground is a gazetted place and we are not sure that the bomb came from there. We have to wait for experts to verify,’’ Marutsya said.
Murutsya has however warned the public from picking unknown materials as the country tries to suppress terror incidents.
This is the fourth incident involving explosive devices in a space of three weeks. On Saturday October 23, a metallic bomb went off at a pork joint in Komamboga, Kawempe division, killing one person on the spot and injuring another. Two days later, a suspected suicide bomber detonated a device inside a Swift company bus as it made its way to Mbabra.
After a few days, two children died on the spot in Kasese after picking up a metallic device.
Police and security operatives have since asked for vigilance from the public as the country deals with growing bomb scares.
