KAMPALA – The murder of Arnold Ainebyona Mugisha by shooting at Quality Shopping Village Namugongo and the subsequent public reactions to the incident reflects an angry society, the head of the Uganda Muslim Youth Assembly, Imam Idi Kasozi, has said.
Ainebyona was allegedly shot dead by Moses Ongoria, a private guard with Saracen Security firm, following a disagreement after the deceased’s colleagues abandoned a trolley that rolled and damaged another person’s car. During the funeral service on Wednesday, the deceased’s parents said their son was killed because of his tribe while the public has also weighed in with various tribal sentiments targeted towards Banyankore.
But Imam Kasozi says the public anger caused by politicians have permeated to the rest of society and created toxicity, which is exploding into murders, aggravated robberies and tribal sentiments.
“Some Ugandans are angry, especially those who are in the political field. The anger is expressed to the public who react. That’s where the problem is. We need to go back and ask ourselves why we are carrying this hate for a long time,” he says.
According to Imam Kasozi, there is a growing feeling that some Ugandans, especially those in power, are marginalising others, which makes the marginalized gang up against others.
“I fear explaining how it is because I might make it worse. We appreciate how we were created. Let us appreciate the fundamental social process. We mustn’t turn the competition into a conflict, which is where we are right now,” he added.
Mr Plan Mugisha, the father of slain Ainebyona, during a funeral service at All Saints Cathedral Nakasero, Kampala, on Wednesday, called on the government to fight tribalism in the country before it is too late.
The deputy executive director of Uganda Media Centre, Col (Rtd) Shaban Bantariza, agreed that Ugandans have become intolerant to each other.
“We’re very intolerant. We must do something about it because it is the social fabric of our country. The leaders who are promoting and propagating hate speech due to our political affiliations should know that we’re planting a seed of self-destruction,” he said.
“There is a need for serious reflection as a society. People need to know that we shall never be the same, but we mustn’t interpret this to say one is better than the other. The divide is on our bankrupt thinking. The guns aren’t the issue, we need to regulate and professionalise private security guards. We need to reorganise our private security guards because they’re part and parcel of the country’s security apparatus. People are brewing trouble for opportunistic purposes. We have people propagating wrong views. We need to discuss what makes us Ugand