On April 4, 2025, at around 5:00 p.m., police received reports of a demonstration in Ngandu village, where locals were protesting the lack of electricity for three weeks. The protesters blocked the Ngandu-Kirangira road, burning old tires.
Upon arrival, police were met with stone-throwing by the protesters. In the process of dispersing the crowd, a stone thrown by a demonstrator, identified as a student from Mukono High School, hit Musisi David, aka Kalyankolo.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango says that the journalist was taken to Mukono General Hospital for treatment. The situation was eventually controlled, and the blocked road was cleared. Police engaged with Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), which promised to address the power issue.
Cases of inciting violence, obstruction of police officers, and assault on a police officer and a journalist have been opened and are under investigation. The ringleader of the demonstration, Mbogo Dunstan, was arrested and taken to the Central Police Station in Mukono for further management. Authorities are still searching for the student who assaulted the journalist.
Contrary to initial reports, the journalist was hit by a stone thrown by a protester, not by a tear gas canister.
Residents said that they have lost money in their businesses due to the UMEME blackout and increased insecurity in their areas.
Ngandu village chairman Ibrahim Kitenda said that when the situation was over it could be controlled if the authorities came out and explained to the residents, because he has written many letters and nothing is done from the office to come to the residents to tell them the next step.
