An Ugandan minister has been shot dead by a bodyguard in the early hours of Tuesday in an apparent private dispute.
According to state broadcaster UBC and others, the attacker, who has not been publicly identified, then turned the gun on himself
The victim, Charles Engola, served in the government of President Yoweri Museveni as the junior minister in charge of labor. He was a retired army colonel.
In a short statement, Army spokesman Brig. Felix Kulayigye described the incident as an “unfortunate incident” that led to the killing of Engola. “We shall inform the public the details as we jointly investigate the matter,” Kulayigye said on Twitter.
The shooting took place inside Engola’s home in a suburb of the Ugandan capital, Kampala. Police detectives are now at the scene.
The motive was not immediately clear, but the local press said there had been an apparent dispute over the guard’s wages.
“Witnesses claim that the soldier was yelling that he had not been paid for a long time despite working for a minister,” the online newspaper NilePost reported.
