Police was forced to use tear-gas to break up crowds at Jimmy Kirunda’s burial on Wednesday.
Kirunda who captained Uganda Cranes for 10 years was pronounced dead on Monday, 25th May 2020 moments after collapsing at Bwaise in Kampala.
The late was supposed to be buried at 2pm but all this was sabotaged after Police’s besieged the area and the burial was rushed to midday.
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The Policemen said that the mourners didn’t adhere to the government directives about public gatherings during the Covid19 pandemic.
The ugly scenes took place in Mayire – Bulesa, Kyadondo.
“It has been chaotic,” Bright Stars coach Paul Kiwanuka told this website during a phone interview. “Some of us who managed to come here very early got a chance but the rest have been blocked and as I speak now, we are being chased away from the area by Police.”
Sports journalist Francisco Bwambale revealed that tear gas was fired and some people where beaten as Police chased hundreds of mourners.
“The funeral was not respected. We did not give the legend a deserved send off,” Bwambale said.
“Police could have done better today because this crowd was easy to control. There is a big compound here and masses would have been lined up to suit the social distancing rules but Police just started chasing on everyone and disorganized everything.
“They switched off the public address system, the priest was not allowed to say a word to the mourners, and only very few were allowed to reach to the graveyard.”
FUFA officials including Ahmed Hussein, Ali Mwebe, Ronnie Kalema, Ali Kalyango attended the event. Coaches Kiwanuka, Matia Lule, Sam Ssimbwa, ex-players Tom Masiko, Geoffrey Nyola, George Mukasa and Vipers president Lawrence Mulindwa were some who represented the football fraternity.
There were road blocks along the way, starting from Kiwanda town, hence many including NCS General Secretary Bernard Ogwel reached at the event when the burial ceremony is done.
