Gomba, Uganda: Police have arrested three officers attached to Butambala Police Station as investigations intensify into the fatal shooting of a machine operator during an inspection at a coffee processing factory in Gomba District.
The victim, identified as Katerega Musa, a machine operator at Abbarci Industries Ltd, was shot dead on July 1, 2026, at around 4:00 p.m. in Kanoni Cell, Kanoni Town Council.
According to a statement issued by the Katonga Regional Police, preliminary investigations indicate that officials from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), accompanied by an armed security team and police officers, had visited the factory to carry out an inspection of the coffee processing facility.
Police said the inspection team was reportedly led by an official identified as Mathias, who was known to the Acting Factory Manager and Accountant, Nalubega Zalika.
Investigators have since obtained video footage from the scene, which reportedly shows a scuffle breaking out among some of the people present moments before the fatal shooting.
Police say the footage forms part of the ongoing investigation aimed at establishing the sequence of events that led to the altercation and determining how the shooting occurred.
As part of the investigations, three police officers have been arrested to assist detectives.
The officers have been identified as Police Constable Mujuni Nicholas, Police Constable Welikhe Dan Alex, and Corporal Foste Bosco, all attached to Butambala Police Station.
The suspects remain in police custody and are expected to be produced before the courts of law as investigations continue.
In a statement on Saturday, July 04, Katonga Regional Police Spokesperson SP Lydia Tumushabe said detectives are committed to conducting a thorough and impartial investigation.
“We remain committed to conducting thorough, impartial, and professional investigations to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the incident and to ensure that all those found culpable are brought to justice,” SP Tumushabe said.
Police have not yet disclosed who fired the fatal shot or whether additional suspects could be implicated as investigations progress.
The incident has drawn attention to the conduct of armed security personnel during official enforcement operations, with investigators now relying on witness statements, forensic evidence, and video footage to reconstruct the events that resulted in Katerega’s death.
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