Kampala, Uganda | By Michael Wandati | John Bosco Bakya, 34, employed as a private security guard by Security Group Africa (SGA), reportedly took his own life following the disappearance of a motorcycle he had been tasked with guarding on Saturday night for a fee of Shs 1,000.
The tragic incident unfolded at Texas Energy Station situated in Kinyarwanda village, Nakawa Division, Kampala. Bakya and his colleague, Silvano Apeti, were approached by an individual seeking overnight security for his Bajaj Boxer motorcycle, bearing registration number UEO 570E.
The following morning, upon discovering the absence of the motorcycle, Bakya expressed deep concern about the potential consequences, including having to cover the cost of the missing motorcycle and facing possible police arrest.
“I tried to comfort him and he seemed to have listened. But when I was a few meters away from him, I heard a gunshot sound,” Apeti said.
Luke Owoyesigyire, Deputy Spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police, stated that law enforcement was promptly notified of the incident. Police officers arrived at the scene, gathered the cartridges, secured the deceased guard’s firearm, and transported the body for a postmortem examination.
Owoyesigyire emphasized that Bakya ought to have reported the motorcycle’s disappearance to his superiors or the police, which would have facilitated a search effort to locate the missing motorcycle.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that at around 9pm on Saturday while on duty, the deceased was approached by one Vincent Oloka who asked him to keep safe his motorcycle after paying him Shs 1,000. The deceased worked all night and was relieved by his colleague, the following morning at 7am,” Owoyesigyire said.
According to police, the colleague, Silvano Apeti was not told anything until at around 9am on Sunday 9, June 2024 when Oloka came to pick the motorcycle, only to find it missing.
“The deceased was called at the said fuel station by the manager and upon interview, he could not give an account of the whereabouts of the said motorcycle.”
According to the police, the manager instructed the deceased guard to wait while he reviewed the surveillance footage to determine how the motorcycle went missing from its parked location.
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“The deceased instead left his colleague together with the owner, went to the changing room which was also the power house where the rifle was being kept, picked it and shot himself and died instantly.”
Upon hearing the gunshot, the colleague rushed to investigate, discovering Bakya’s lifeless body in a pool of blood. He promptly reported the incident to the manager, who in turn notified the nearby police.
Deputy Spokesperson Owoyesigyire stated that the scene was examined, leading to the recovery of the rifle with registration number UG PSO32004110, along with four rounds of ammunition. Additionally, one spent cartridge casing was found at the scene.
The deceased’s body was transported to the Mulago City Mortuary for a postmortem examination.
The police are now investigating the incident, focusing on Apeti and the motorcycle owner, to determine if foul play was involved.
