Junior Minister for ICT, Hon Idah Nantaba has criticized police for killing a man she earlier suspected of trailing her as she left her constituency last Sunday.
Ronald Sebulime, father of 4, met his death by a bullet after he was pursued by Nagalama police.
His death has however, prompted the public, human rights activists and Parliament to raise unaccountable questions after poking holes in police’s account that led to the shooting.
Eyewitnesses told the media that Ronald Sebulime after being intercepted, raised his hands signaling to authorities that he had surrendered.
He was thus bundled into police truck while handcuffed.
But later, one of the officers said the “orders have changed” and opened fire on Sebulime killing him instantly.
Whereas the public has been baying for Nantaba’s blood as she treated the matter with stone silence, on Monday she came out strongly to give her version.
Nantaba said, she became suspicious of Sebulime because of the manner in which he was riding the motorbike.
“Tugume (Nantaba’s bodyguard) tries to stop this man but he is refuses to stop but instead pretends as thou he is going to park on the side of the road. And as he is pretending to be parking I am following suit,” Nantaba said.
She added; “this time he takes off at a very high speed and at this time we are approaching kabimbili town. Then I ask Tugume why don’t you shoot. At least in the air or shoot the tyres for this man at least to stop his motorcycle.”
It is against that backdrop that Nantaba rushed to Nagalama police which is a stone throw away to report the suspicious man on a motorbike.
But Nantaba was quick to distance herself from the decision police took to kill the suspect.
“Even when I am lucky to tell the story the suspect is murdered immediately even after being arrested by police.”
Nantaba said that she learnt from the media how a police officer narrated that “the order has changed.”
Then Nantaba asked, “so who is giving this order?”
She wonders why Sebulime was removed from the patrol vehicle handcuffed and shot.
Security analysts described Sebulime’s killing as extrajudicial because he was already subdued and handcuffed.
The motive behind the murder of Sebulime can only be answered by the officers who led the Sunday operation.