According to the army and local media, a bodyguard killed a government official in Uganda early on Tuesday after what appeared to be a private argument.
According to state broadcaster UBC and others, the attacker, who has not been officially recognized, subsequently turned the gun on himself.
Charles Engola, the victim, was a junior minister in charge of labour in President Yoweri Museveni’s administration. He was an ex-colonel in the military.
Army spokesman Brig. Felix Kulayigye said in a short statement that an “unfortunate incident” led to the killing of Engola. “We shall inform the public the details as we jointly investigate the matter,” Kulayigye said on Twitter.
The incident happened inside Engola’s house in a Kampala, Uganda, neighbourhood. Detectives from the police are now on the site.
Although the reason wasn’t immediately clear, the local press reported that there had apparently been a dispute over the guard’s pay.
According to witnesses, the soldier was screaming because he hadn’t received payment in a while despite working for a minister, according to the online publication NilePost.
The tragedy is probably going to cause shockwaves in a nation where other prominent politicians have died in shootings throughout the years.
When attackers opened fire on their vehicle in Kampala in 2021, a former army head in Uganda was wounded and his daughter was killed.