The hunt for the man who shot into a taxi and injured a 12 year old boy has come to an end after joint security team apprehended the culprit. The suspect has been identified as Mohammed Kitaka.
Kitaka shot into a passenger taxi at around 9:25pm at Kyebando, Kawempe Division and injured Edrine Babalanda who was inside seating next to his father Moses Babalanda.
Robert Nsubuga the taxi driver said he was taking passengers to Kasangati and Gayaza when a man in a Harrier UBQ 699B fired two bullets into their taxi. “I stopped the taxi and asked him he was shooting at us. He told me he was shooting at thieves who wanted to steal from him. I told him he had injured one my passengers. He then drove off to unknown station,” Nsubuga said.
Nsubuga later reported a case at Kanyanya police station as the victim’s father rushed him to a nearby clinic which also transferred him to Mulago hospital. Security agencies decided to conduct a joint hunt for the Harrier driver who was arrested on Friday with the help of CCTV cameras.
Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, confirmed that Kitaka was arrested. “A 12-year-old boy, Babalanda Edrine, was shot and injured by the driver of a black Toyota Harrier (UBQ 699B) on December 31, 2024, at around 9:25 p.m.
The incident occurred when the boy was a passenger in a taxi driven by Nsubuga Robert,” Onyango said.
Onyango said police have preferred charges of attempted murder on Kitaka because he fled the scene after the incident.
“The driver of the Toyota Harrier shot at the taxi, claiming he was targeting thieves who had attempted to steal from him while driving. However, a stray bullet hit the young boy, who was seated in the back seat. The shooter fled the scene after being informed that he had injured someone,” Onyango added.
Edrine Babalanda is one of the victims of violence that occurred as Ugandans ushered in the New Year.
One person was shot dead in Seeta, Mukono Municipality, while another man was caught with bullet at St Stephens Church, Kisugu, Makindye Division, in Kampala.