Blast in Ugandan capital Kampala kills one, injures three

An explosion in Uganda’s capital Kampala, that killed one person and injured three others, was “a terrorist act”, according to police and President Yoweri Museveni, who promised to hunt down those responsible.

A bomb packed with nails and shrapnel exploded at about 9pm (18:00 GMT) at a popular street-side restaurant strip in Kawempe division in Kampala on Saturday, according to police.

The explosion killed a 20-year-old waitress and injured three people, two of whom were in critical condition, police said, adding all indications suggest an “act of domestic terror”.

The ISIL (ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted in an affiliated Telegram channel.

It said some of its members detonated an explosive device in a bar where “members and spies of the Crusader Ugandan government were gathering” in Kampala.

Museveni wrote on Twitter that he had been briefed that three people “left a package” at the scene that later exploded.

“It seems to be a terrorist act but we shall get the perpetrators,” he wrote.

The Police Specialists are on the ground investigating the whole incident. They will give us more information later. They will also give guidelines on vigilance by the Public dealing with these possible terrorists.

— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) October 24, 2021

Uganda has enforced a nationwide coronavirus-related curfew from 7pm (16:00GMT) but is not uniformly enforced.

On October 8, the ISIL (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for an alleged bomb attack on a police post in Kawempe, near where Saturday’s explosion occurred.

No blast or any injuries were reported by authorities or local media at the time, though police later confirmed a minor incident had occurred.