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Army deserter ‘tries to disarm policeman’
A former armyman with a record of serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia, is behind bars after he befriended police officers at Kabalagala before he turned against them with the alleged intent to steal a gun.
Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire revealed that last night (March 14), Hussein Kakonge, aged 46, got his way into the police after he faked a story that he wanted a place to spend the night. The unsuspecting Police officers on duty at Kabalagala police station not only accepted to host Kakonge, they gave him beddings to sleep on like a landlord.
Little did they know they had hosted a wolf in sheep’s skin.
According to Oweyesigyire, in the wee hours of the night, Kakonge transformed into his real mode, attacked one officer Police Constable (PC) Junior Bamwesigye with the alleged aim of snatching his gun.
“PC Bamwesigye was manning the police counter when he was attacked on 14.03.2022 at Kabalagala Police station.
Preliminary information shows that Kakonge introduced himself to officers at Kabalagala Police Station as a guard and he claimed that he was stranded after his bosses evicted him out of the house. He said he was looking for a place to spend a night,” Oweyesigire said.
Following the police mandate of protecting life and property, Oweyesigyire says that the officer gave Kakonge beddings to rest near the counter and to their surprise, Kakonge woke up at night at around 1am and attempted to disarm an officer at the counter.
“He started using a helmet to assault PC Bamwesigye and later tried to disarm him of his gun. The officer put up resistance until other officers, who were nearby, came and subdued the suspect,” said Oweyesigyire.
A CCTV video detailing the events has been uploaded on the Uganda Police Youtube channel. It shows the man waking up and attacking a police officer in the presence of other police officers.
Watch Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73a_U-USwj8
After his arrest, the Police embarked on investigations which found that Kakonge has a military background.
He joined the UPDF in 1996 and has previously served the UPDF in various missions in Somalia, fought against the Lord Resistance Army among others.
The Police say that when Kakonge returned from Somalia mission, he deserted the UPDF and later joined Security 2000, where he was also fired.
Officers around Kampala Metropolitan Policing area have also been urged to remain vigilant and alert while on duty since the threat of targeting their guns still exists .
The suspect is being with attempted murder, desertion and attempt to steal a gun against him against a police officer.