Kampala - A Ugandan man has died after
setting fire to himself in a police station when officers
allegedly demanded a bribe to release his motorcycle, which he
was using as a taxi and which had been impounded over violation
of coronavirus restrictions.
The case has provoked anger among Ugandans who say it
reflects widespread abuse by security personnel, including
beatings, detentions and extortion that in the current climate
are often disguised as enforcement of coronavirus regulations.
The rider, Hussein Walugembe, had recently acquired his
motorcycle and it was being driven by a colleague when it was
impounded on Tuesday for violating a dusk-to-dawn curfew,
regional police spokesman Nsubuga Mohammed said.
On Thursday, Walugembe came to the police station in the
town of Masaka to claim the bike but was frustrated by some
police officers who demanded he pay a bribe, Mohammed said.
After his pleas to the police officer responsible for
traffic violations to release his bike were rejected, he doused
himself with gasoline, which he concealed in a container in his
jacket, and set himself on fire.
"He attempted to grab the officer, for them to die together,
but he escaped with minor burns, leaving the victim behind," the
national police headquarters said in a statement.
Police are investigating allegations of "extortion and
bribery" at the station, the statement said, adding that two
police officers have been arrested. Masaka is about 130km south of the capital Kampala.
Uganda implemented one of Africa's strictest lockdowns to
curb the coronavirus and has kept infections relatively low at
under 1,000 cases, with no deaths. The government has loosened
some of the restrictions but some remain.
Critics have accused President Yoweri Museveni's government
of using the pandemic to repress rights and harass opponents
ahead of a general election due early next year.