Over 30,000 people operating in Mawa market in Kasese Town survived death on Thursday morning after a grenade was recovered planted in one corner of the market.
The traders, who discovered the bomb, raised an alarm, forcing other traders to take off. Police and the UPDF then arrived immediately and detonated the explosive, which some of the witness said bore a counting clock and a dynamo, with a bottle of water placed on top. They said the clock and the dynamo were wired onto one another.
According to Mr Hillary Baluku, who was among the people that saw the bomb, said he sensed danger when he was wires and some words written in Arabic.
“I immediately closed my shop and called police. I have seen explosives of this nature before, so I could not wait,” Baluku said.
Mr Richard Kimeze, the chairperson of the market, applauded the security forces for responding in time to save the situation. Kimeze added that the discovery of the bomb is an eye opener to the traders to start being vigilant about security in the market.
We were unable to speak to the security team that detonated the explosive but the Resident District Commissioner, Col (Rtd) James Mwesigye, confirmed that it was a grenade.
Col Mwesigye noted that because of the district’s proximity to the conflict-prone DR Congo where a Ugandan rebel group Allied Democratic Forces is holed up, many bombs are being discovered in different parts of the district.
He explained that since April, they have recovered five bombs, especially near the border areas, with the latest recovered from Kyondo Sub-county.
