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Co-ordinator of Uganda Debt Network, Zie Geriyo is recovering after being shot The renowned debt and anti - corruption campaigner was on the critical list after being shot by a gang yesterday. Doctors at the Mulago Hospital in Kampala now say Mr. Geriyo is recovering after a successful operation. In an editorial, The Monitor, one of Uganda's leading dailies, says the shooting of Mr. Geriyo raises some tough questions.  18th October, 2001. The Co-ordinator of Uganda Debt Network (UDN) Zie Gariyo was on Tuesday Oct. 16 wounded near his home on Naguru Hill I, Ntinda II, by a group of thugs. Gariyo, a renowned anti-corruption and pro-democracy activist, was shot through the stomach by the group of four thugs who later grabbed his Toyota Camry. The Police say the group, wielding a pistol, later used Gariyo's vehicle to attack the home of Edmond Wakida, an advocate in Bukoto, Kabira village. They abandoned Gariyo's car and made off with the lawyer's car. Police say they believe Gariyo's shooting was sheer robbery, and are ruling out any political motive. However, that must be taken with a pinch of salt. Gariyo is only an activist, and he wasn't carrying loads of money on him. Usually thugs shoot their victim if he is carrying a lot of money, or resists stiffly. Gariyo didn't resist. We find it hard to believe, therefore, that he was shot just to grab his vehicle. That is very rare, it seems, in the Kampala thugs' "code of crime". We therefore have reason to worry about Gariyo's safety, for which reason he should be offered security while in Mulago Hospital. However, if the Police are right, the enormity of the shooting of the country's most professional campaigner against corruption and advocate for transparent government still remains. The image it creates for the country is not good, because it highlights the fact that the recent wave of crime is so widespread, no one is really safe. Which raises the question, why now? There are several possible explanations. The government is so self-satisfied with what it sees as economic improvement, it has become complacent and failed to recognise the serious poverty that still exists out there and the crisis of urban unemployment. It is partly this poverty that leads to violent robberies. Of course, there could be people who are using crime to discredit the government. However, such people would have to be in the Police, UPDF, or ISO to be able to organise weapons and guns for their partners in crime. In which case, it raises serious concerns about political and social stability. The government must move with determination, the way it did in the years 1989 and 1990 to deal with this problem before it gets out of hand and becomes unmanageable. We wish Gariyo a quick recovery. |
