A controversial parliamentarian in Uganda has been shot dead. Ibrahim Abiriga and his personal body guard was gunned down close to Uganda’s capital Kampala.
Famed for donning yellow attire to show his undying allegiance to Uganda’s ruling party- the National Resistance Movement (NRM), Abiriga represented Arua municipality, a city in the northwest.
He was one of the legislators that vehemently supported a controversial constitutional amendment last year which removed the presidential age limit. Opponents of the amendment said it was meant to ensure President Yoweri Museveni, in power since 1986, rules for life.
Before becoming a member of parliament, Abiriga was a rebel leader fighting in Uganda’s northwest. He sought amnesty and was pardoned by the government of Yoweri Museveni.
Last year, he was pictured easing himself in the open in Kampala. He was charged in a city court and fined.
Police confirmed his death. His killers were reportedly riding on a motorcycle. He was killed as he drove home. His death enlisted mixed reactions from Ugandans, especially on social media. Many expressed shock and outrage.
Uganda has been hit by a wave of crime lately, mostly kidnappings for ransom and murders.
His death comes just a day after President Museveni, in an address to the nation, vowed to defeat crime.
Credit: africanews