The principal judge Dr Flavian Zeija on Saturday survived a gun attack by unknown gunmen along the Kampala-Masaka road. The incident happened at Mitala Maria in Buwama town council, Mpigi district.
Jameson Karemani, the public relations officer of the judiciary said Zeija was attacked at about 8 pm while on his way to Kampala. According to Karemani, the gunmen were staged in one place and opened fire at the two vehicles (Zeija's vehicle and the security vehicle). He adds that the side mirrors of the judge's car were slightly damaged. Karemani says neither the principal judge nor his security team was hurt.
"The honourable principal judge was returning from a private function - just past a place called Mitala Maria when the gunmen opened fire on his convoy, and lucky enough, both vehicles managed to drive through without the tires bursting and none of the occupants of the two vehicles was hurt. Karemani says the motive behind the shooting is unknown but added that judicial officers are vulnerable due to the nature of their work," said Karemani.
On Sunday, detectives from the police bomb squad and forensic department as well as army officers visited the crime scene and cordoned off the area comprising of a residential area to gather necessary information. The principal judge is third in the judiciary hierarchy after the chief justice and deputy chief justice and oversees the operations of the High court and judges.
The incident happens at a time when the judiciary is preparing for the annual Joan Kagezi Memorial Symposium which starts next week on Monday under the theme Human Trafficking Challenge: Addressing Emerging Trend. Kagezi, a former state attorney was shot dead in March 2015 by unknown gunmen while on her way to her home.
Last year in June, Works and Transport minister Gen Katumba Wamala survived an assassination attack that claimed his daughter and bodyguard in Kisasi, a Kampala city suburb. Similarly former police spokesperson Andrew Felix Kaweesi was shot dead on March 17, 2017 also in Kisasi. - URN/The Observer
