Lawmaker, bodyguard shot dead by unknown gunmen

A prominent politician from Uganda’s ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, Ibrahim Abiriga, has been shot dead along with his bodyguard.

Abiriga, known for wearing all-yellow suits and driving around in a yellow VW Beetle, was “assassinated this evening near his home in Kawanda,” north of the capital, Kampala, by “unknown assailants,” police chief, Okoth Ochola confirmed the incident.

The 62-year-old was Member of Parliament (MP) for the Arua municipality in the north west of the country.

He was a also a key supporter of a reform bill adopted last December, to scrap the presidential age limit of 75 years.

The move was seen as a bid to pave way for Museveni who has been president since 1986 and currently 73, to seek a sixth term in power.

Museveni responded to the news of Abiriga’s murder on Twitter, saying: “I have received news about the senseless killing of Arua Municipality MP, Hon Ibrahim Abiriga, and his bodyguard on the city’s outskirts.

“I have tasked security agencies to expeditiously find these killers and the nation will be updated soon. May Hon Abiriga’s soul rest in peace.”