Chinese National Fires Shots After Robbery In Kampala, Sparks Police Investigation

By Gad Masereka

A recent incident in Kampala has led to a police investigation involving a Chinese man who resorted to using his firearm in an attempt to recover stolen money. The incident occurred over the weekend when Lee Shao, a Chinese national, found himself in a harrowing situation on Martin Road in Kampala.

Lee Shao was the victim of a robbery by a group of thieves who were riding on four motorcycles. The thieves stole his bag, which contained a substantial sum of money amounting to 200 million shillings. Faced with this shocking turn of events, Lee Shao opened fire indiscriminately in a bid to recover his stolen funds. He later reported the incident to authorities at the Kampala Central Police Station (CPS) and CI detectives, stating, “I had 200 million shillings in my bag, and I was using a Boda boda when a group of men attacked me and took my money. I was confused and I remembered to shoot them when they had fled the scene.”

Luke Owoyesigyire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, has confirmed that the police are actively investigating this case as a 200-million-shilling robbery. He also emphasized the importance of individuals, particularly foreigners, taking adequate security measures when carrying large sums of money.

Owoyesigyire mentioned, “We have obtained the firearm and recorded his statement. The crime intelligence team is actively searching for the robbers. We also want to use this incident as a cautionary tale, warning people against carrying significant amounts of money without sufficient security.”

This incident follows a similar case that occurred in September when Ito Okira, a Japanese expert, lost his life after being attacked by individuals wearing NRM party t-shirts during President Yoweri Museveni’s 79th birthday celebrations. Ito Okira had been contracted by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) to improve road junctions with the aim of reducing traffic congestion. In his case, thieves accessed his bag containing money from behind his car seat. When he attempted to retrieve his belongings, Ito was struck with a blunt object, which resulted in him falling into a coma and eventually succumbing to his injuries three weeks later.

Owoyesigyire has stated that efforts are underway to identify the motorcycles used by the robbers who targeted Lee Shao. Similar to the case of Ito Okira, closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) will be employed to gather crucial information about the culprits. Initially, charges against Ito’s attackers were related to aggravated robbery, but following his passing, these charges were amended to include murder.