Security guard kills self after shooting woman dead in Mayuge

MAYUGE, UGANDA: Grief and fear engulfed residents of Bugadde town council in Mayuge district on Monday after a private security guard shot a woman dead before turning the gun to kill himself.

Stephen Ayanya, 33, who was attached to Priority One Security Group Ltd and deployed at Bugadde SACCO in the town council is said to have gruesomely killed Sarah Enyayo, 31, on Monday at around 5:45 am in the morning.

According to preliminary police investigations, it is alleged that Ayanya shot at Enyayo three times in the Monday morning incident killing her instantly. The lady who leaves behind seven children including a one and eight months baby was married to a UPDF soldier only identified as Kintu, a born of Bugiri district.

The LC 1 Chairperson of Bugadde North Village, Mr Mugoya Fred says the incident which occurred on Monday morning at around 5:45 am, suggests that the woman was killed for allegedly lying to the security guard that she was not married.

“I heard gunshots and later saw the guard who gives security at Bugadde SACCO running and I was shocked and closed the door. Immediately after passing my home, he shot two bullets which he aimed at himself. It is very unfortunate that the two have been in love and I last saw them together yesterday at around 7:30 pm,” Mugoya said before urging married people to avoid having extramarital affairs.

The deputy RDC in Mayuge district, Mr. Hamis Kiganira who rushed to the scene with police on Monday morning condemned the acts of murder and suicide by the private security guard.

Kiganira said that according to preliminary findings, the two seem to have spent a short time in love citing that the lady’s husband was deployed at the president’s lounge in Mayuge before transferring him to Kampala and leaving his wife behind.

“We condemn this act and I advise men to reform and avoid resorting to killing whenever they develop a misunderstanding between yourselves. The two are from Teso region, one from Kumi and another from Amuria and the incident is both shocking to the community and it taints the security company’s name as well,” he said

The Mayor of Bugadde Town Council Mr Patrick Lwokyaza and the Spokesperson of the Busoga Business Community in Mayuge Mr Babalanda Patrick condemned the incident advising that the private security guards need more training citing that the duration of their training seems to be not enough.

Busoga East police spokesperson SSP Diana Nandawula has confirmed the matter saying they have started investigating the matter which occurred Monday morning when the private security guard shot himself in the neck after killing a woman. Police say that items of evidence value were retrieved from the scene and that the actual cause of the guard’s action was yet to be established.

“We have started investigating the shooting which was done by a security guard attached to Priority one security group identified as Ayanya Stephen,38, in Bugadde town council, Mayuge district who shot dead a woman suspected to have been his lover, identified as Enyayo Sarah,30. After the shooting, he went to his work station at Bugadde SACCO before shooting himself in the neck,” Ms Nandawula said adding that the cause of the incident was not yet established but police recovered the killer gun with 14 rounds of ammunition plus the cartridges.

By press time, the bodies had been taken to Mayuge Health Centre IV mortuary for postmortem and pending delivery to their respective families for burial arrangements.