The gap between protocol and what happens on the street seems enormous
On a midday street in Kampala, the distance between a moving vehicle and a powerful convoy collapsed into a gunshot — and once again, an ordinary person paid the price for proximity to power. A woman driving near Parliament Speaker Anita Among's escort on Mackinnon Road was shot by a police guard after allegedly failing to yield, joining a quiet but growing list of civilians wounded or killed in the shadow of Uganda's expanding VIP security apparatus. Police are searching for the injured woman while investigating both shooter and victim, a posture that acknowledges what the record already suggests: that the rules governing when armed guards may open fire on civilians remain dangerously unclear.
- A woman in a Toyota Harrier was shot and removed from her vehicle on a busy Kampala road at midday — her name, her condition, and her whereabouts are all still unknown.
- The shooting happened just one kilometer from where a truck driver was killed in December 2024 by a VIP escort guard who then fled and remains at large, making the geography of this street feel like a recurring crime scene.
- Uganda's record of escort-related shootings stretches back years — a motorcyclist killed in 2019, a man shot outside a Chief Justice's vehicle in 2016 — each incident adding weight to a pattern that official investigations have not yet broken.
- Police say they are pursuing both the guard who fired and the woman who was shot, a framing that leaves open whether the force used was justified or excessive — and who, ultimately, will be held accountable.
- The expanding circle of armed escorts around Uganda's officials has created a climate where a driver's hesitation or confusion at the wrong moment can be met with lethal force, and where the line between security protocol and impunity grows harder to see.
A woman driving a Toyota Harrier was shot by a police guard on Mackinnon Road in Kampala after she did not stop to clear the way for Speaker of Parliament Anita Among's convoy. The guard opened fire around midday when she kept driving despite orders to pull over. She was taken from her vehicle to a medical facility, but her identity and the extent of her injuries remain unknown.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala confirmed that officers are searching for the woman and that investigations are underway. Police intend to interview both the guard who fired and the victim before determining where responsibility lies — an approach that leaves open the question of whether the shooting was justified or excessive.
The incident occurred just one kilometer from where truck driver Julius Ssemwaka, 32, was fatally shot in December 2024 by Police Constable Charles Bahati, a VIP escort officer who fled the scene after killing Ssemwaka for failing to reverse his vehicle quickly enough near a judicial convoy. Bahati remains at large and wanted by police.
The pattern runs deeper. In 2019, a corporal shot and killed a motorcyclist in Kayunga District after suspecting him of trailing a government minister — that officer was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In 2016, a guard protecting then-Chief Justice Bart Katureebe shot a man near his vehicle in Kampala; the man died the following day. In April 2024, Special Forces soldiers fired on a car that approached State Lodge Nakasero at speed, detaining the driver on security charges.
As Uganda's VIP security details have grown larger and more heavily armed, so too has the frequency of confrontations with ordinary citizens. The cumulative record points to a system in which guards operate with wide latitude and civilians face the risk of lethal force for what may amount to a moment of confusion on a busy road.
A woman driving a Toyota Harrier was shot by a police guard on Mackinnon Road in Kampala yesterday after she did not stop when ordered to make way for the Speaker of Parliament's convoy. The guard opened fire when she continued driving despite instructions to pull over around midday. She was removed from her vehicle and taken to a medical facility, though her name and the severity of her injuries remain unknown.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala confirmed that officers are actively searching for the injured woman. "We have picked interest in the incident and investigations are ongoing," Kawala said, adding that police intend to interview both the shooter and the victim to determine what actually happened before deciding where responsibility lies.
The shooting occurred just one kilometer from the site of another fatal incident in December 2024, when truck driver Julius Ssemwaka, 32, was killed by Police Constable Charles Bahati. That shooting followed a road rage confrontation after Ssemwaka could not reverse his vehicle quickly enough to clear a judicial officer's convoy near the Sheraton Hotel. Bahati, who was assigned to the VIP Protection Police Unit, fled the scene and remains at large. Police have declared him wanted.
This latest incident is part of a lengthening record of violence tied to Uganda's expanding security details for high-ranking officials. In March 2019, Corporal David Ssali shot and killed Ronald Ssebulime, a 40-year-old motorcyclist, in Kayunga District, suspecting him of following State Minister of ICT Idah Nantaba. Ssali was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Three years earlier, in 2016, a guard protecting then-Chief Justice Bart Katureebe fired on Shaban Oyela at Bugolobi in Kampala. Oyela, allegedly holding an iron bar near the vehicle, was wounded and died the following day at Mulago National Referral Hospital.
As the number of armed escorts protecting Uganda's officials has grown, so too have the confrontations between those guards and ordinary citizens. In April 2024, Special Forces Command soldiers fired warning shots and then targeted the tires of a car driven by Shafik Bwanika after it approached State Lodge Nakasero at high speed, ignoring security signals. Bwanika was detained on charges of attempted breach of security at President Museveni's residence.
Kawala's statement that police will interview both parties before assigning blame suggests an openness to the possibility that the guard's response may have been disproportionate—or that the driver's actions may have posed a genuine threat. What remains clear is that the pattern of these incidents has created a climate where armed guards protecting VIP convoys operate with considerable latitude, and where ordinary drivers face the risk of lethal force for traffic violations or miscommunication.
Notable Quotes
We have picked interest in the incident and investigations are ongoing. We are tracing for the victim.— Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does this keep happening? Is there no protocol for how guards should handle traffic situations?
There are protocols, presumably, but the gap between protocol and what actually happens on the street seems enormous. A woman not stopping for a convoy shouldn't be a shooting matter, but the guards seem to operate in a state of constant threat assessment.
The police spokesperson said they'd interview both sides before assigning blame. Does that suggest they're unsure what happened?
It suggests they're being cautious—or that the circumstances genuinely are murky. Did the woman see the signal to stop? Was the guard's life actually in danger? Those are real questions. But the pattern tells you something: this is the fifth or sixth incident in a few years.
And the guard from December is still missing?
Yes. Charles Bahati killed a truck driver who couldn't reverse fast enough and then disappeared. That's the state of accountability here—the shooter vanishes, and the victim is dead.
What changes this?
Honestly, I don't know. You'd need stricter rules about when lethal force is permitted, better training, and actual consequences when guards cross the line. Right now, the incentive structure seems to reward overreaction.