Uganda's Killings: Not Always the Government's Doing

The brutal murder of former New Vision journalist Joe Nam has sparked widespread grief and speculation. Nam, 55, was shot by a masked gunman outside his home after his nightly prayers. He pleaded, ‘Don’t do it, the angels are watching,’ before gunshots rang out. The assailant briefly entered the house, questioned Nam’s sister at gunpoint, and fled with only his phone.

As author of The Day Museveni Goes: Reflections, Questions, Fears, Hope, Nam quickly became linked to state enemies in social media chatter. Yet, commentator Nicholas Sengoba argues such assumptions ignore Uganda’s complex reality.

Public suspicion of the government runs deep, fueled by decades of unresolved high-profile killings like those of Brig Pierino Okoya, Ibrahim Abiriga, and Muhammed Kirumira. Since independence in 1962, leaders from Obote to Amin to Museveni have clashed with perceived rivals, often along ethnic lines forged by colonial borders.

Regimes have used abductions by plainclothes men in unmarked cars—a tactic echoing past dictators—to silence opposition. But Sengoba warns not all violence is state-sponsored. Personal vendettas frequently end in murder, and some killings target innocents to tarnish the government.

History shows opponents of powerful regimes, like those under Amin and Obote, staged gruesome attacks on civilians to incite rebellion. Today, with elections marred by flaws and institutions seen as captured, frustrated challengers may resort to similar chaos, blurring lines between thugs and state actors.

People blame authorities for security lapses, but the truth is often murkier.

Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)