A soldier deployed to guard a construction site on Friday fatally shot his Indian supervisor before turning the gun on himself.
Authorities confirmed that the incident stemmed from the soldier’s dissatisfaction over low pay.
Police identified the victim as 41-year-old Thirumalesh Itikala, a site engineer and manager for Royal Velko Joint Venture Ltd.
The shooter was 38-year-old Private James Tolit Opio, a member of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF). Opio had been assigned to guard the construction site in Namasale Town Council, Amolatar District.
The construction project, contracted by the Ministry of Water and Environment, involved a Shs12 billion water pipe system for Namasale. Itikala, who resided at Mbiko Landing Site in the same town, had been overseeing the project.
According to reports, Opio had returned to work on October 1 after some time off. The night before the shooting, he attended a local disco, returning to his post at around 4am the following day.
On Friday morning, Opio reportedly expressed his frustrations about low pay to fellow guards. His discontent soon escalated into violence.
At approximately 9:30am, Opio approached Itikala’s office while the engineer was on a phone call and shot him in the chest at close range.
After the shooting, Opio walked roughly 50 meters from the site’s main gate before turning the gun on himself, shooting himself in the neck and dying instantly.
Itikala was rushed to Amolatar Health Center IV, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Meanwhile, police led by the Amolatar District Police Commander quickly arrived at the scene, gathering evidence and recording statements from witnesses.
As of Friday afternoon, both bodies remained at the health center awaiting postmortem examinations.
The incident has raised concerns among authorities and the wider community, particularly over the issue of workplace grievances.
The police called for supervisors to take employee complaints seriously to prevent future tragedies.
Royal Velko Joint Venture Ltd, the company overseeing the project, has not yet released a statement regarding the incident.
However, the tragic event has drawn attention to the conditions faced by employees, both local and international, working in Uganda’s construction industry
