Suspected bomb blast blows off house roof in Jinja

JINJA, UGANDA: Police in Kiira Region are investigating the cause of a suspected grenade blast that destroyed the home of Samuel Ngobi, a resident of Kibuga-Mbata cell in Jinja City Southern division.

Rhoda Namwase, a neighbour to Ngobi says that they heard a loud blast from his house, and upon reading out, they saw the roof was blown off and walls cracked in.

The police fire brigade arrived after the building had already been destroyed. Ngobi, who was out for dinner with his family, says that they lost all their belongings, including clothing and furniture.

Ngobi claims to have bought the one-acre piece of land on which his house and church sit in 2010, but several individuals have claimed ownership without providing documentation. The church was first torched in 2021, and part of it was destroyed.

This has raised suspicion that those contesting the land are behind the attacks on Ngobi’s property. Ngobi says that unknown individuals recently stormed the church, torching it and stealing the music system, which was reported to the police.

Residents of the area, including Ronald Katongole, who says that the area is near the industrial area of Jinja, attracting land grabbers who use rudimentary methods to gain ownership, want the police to thoroughly investigate the matter.

Kiira Region Police Spokesperson James Mubi says that a team of detectives has extracted samples from the rubble, which will undergo forensic analysis at the government analytical laboratory to determine the cause of the fire.