Mother awarded Shs50m over son killed in Kampala riots
Ms Hajara Nakitto, the mother of Amos Ssegawa, a 15-year-old student who was shot dead during the November 2020 protests protests near Parliament building in Kampala on April 12, 2021 as she demanded to meet the then Speaker Rebecca Kadaga. PHOTO/ COURTESY/ DAMALI MUKHAYE
What you need to know:
- President Museveni in a televised address admitted that security forces had shot dead 54 civilians, but said many of the rioters, whom he variously branded as “terrorists”, were to blame.
- He promised compensation for the victims, but no money has been paid out to grieving families years later.
The mother of a 15-year-old boy who was shot dead by security operatives in the November 2020 riots in Kampala has been awarded Shs50 million by court.
Amos Segawa who was at the time a student at Lubiri High School was shot dead as police and the army moved to contain sporadic riots that broke out in Kampala, Mukono, Wakiso and Masaka districts from November 18 to 20 following the arrest of then presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, aka Bobi Wine in Luuka District.
Ms Hajara Nakitto petitioned court stating that her son’s killing shattered her life, she lost her job and now suffers nightmares.
She asked for Shs200 million as compensation and Shs5 million as punitive damages.
Kampala High Court on Tuesday ordered the government to pay Shs50 million to Ms Nakitto as compensation for Ssegawa’s death.
According to the judge the city shootings and killing violated Ssegawa’s fundamental right to life contrary to Articles 20 (2) and 22 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda, 1995.
“This court agrees with the submission of applicant’s counsel that indeed the applicant’s son died as a result of the stray bullet which could have been fired by either the soldiers or police in an attempt to quell or stop the riots in Kampala. The respondent (Attorney General) did not file any meaningful defence apart from mere denials by an advocate in the respondent’s chambers,” Justice Musa Ssekaana ruled.
Justice Ssekaana explained that the country was in a state of confusion as a result of riots in different parts of Uganda and yet it was a campaign period ahead of 2021 presidential poll.
“It could not be possible for Ms Nakitto or her [now] deceased son to identify who fired a stray bullet which ended his life. This court could not place such a heavy burden to prove the shooting was either by a soldier or policeman,” he added.
The judge said that the court was guided by the principles and observation in the above suit and the general circumstances surrounding the shooting and killing of Ssegawa.
“The applicant (Nakitto) has not made out any justification for the award of punitive damages and the court is equally mindful of the fact that it was a riotous atmosphere as the soldiers and policemen were trying to keep law and order in the city,” ruled Justice Ssekaana before ordering the government to also pay legal costs incurred by Ms Nakitto in prosecution of her case.
In an interview, Ms Nakitto told this reporter that she was not satisfied with the court award which is way below what she asked for.
“While in court, I was asked how much I wanted to be compensated with and I said Shs200m, which is also little but again it has not been given to me. I had left it all to court and as you know matters in court take so long to be decided on. It’s now three years since I lost my son and business. I have not been working since then. I would have wanted to appeal against the decision but with the Uganda we are in, I will leave it at that. I will go with the decision of the court," she said.
Ms Nakitto said that all she needs is the money for her to pay the lawyers. She appealed to the government to expedite the process of compensating her as promised by President Museveni days after the shooting.
At the time of his death, Ssegawa had been helping his mother run some business errands and had on the fateful day accompanied her to help sell clothes at a shop in the city.
All was well for the residents of Namasuba, Makindye-Saabagabo in Wakiso on November 19, 2020 until 11am when soldiers started firing bullets randomly as they subdued demonstrations.
President Museveni in a televised address admitted that security forces had shot dead 54 civilians, but said many of the rioters, whom he variously branded as “terrorists”, were to blame.
He promised compensation for the victims, but no money has been paid out to grieving families years later.
Reacting to the court decision, Mr Kyagulanyi on Wednesday tweeted saying “I want to salute Hajara for her relentless fight for justice for her son. Although the 50 million shillings awarded to her is too small compared to the life lost and the expectations she had in her son, at least it has gone on record that the Museveni regime illegally murdered her son. Of course it's not even clear if the money will ever be paid to her.”
