Bus blast in Uganda carried out by suicide bomber: Police

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) – An explosion that hit a moving bus in Uganda yesterday killing one person and injuring others was carried out by a suicide bomber, police said Tuesday.

Addressing a news conference at police headquarters in Kampala, Uganda police spokesman Fred Enanga said: “Our experts have established that the explosion was set off by a suicide bomber called Isac Matovu. He is the only one who died. Police also found a detonator, a suicide vest, and other bomb-related materials at the seat where the bomber was seated.”

He said the bomber was an Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) collaborator and wanted by police.

The passenger sitting behind the bomber was seriously injured, but the rest of the 50 passengers did not get serious injuries, he added.

The bus was traveling from Uganda's capital Kampala to Bushenyi town, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) west of the capital.

According to police officer Thomas Kiguli, who was among the passengers, the explosion happened on Monday evening in a bus traveling from Uganda's capital Kampala to Bushenyi.

“When we reached a place called Lungala in the Mpigi district, an explosion occurred in the middle of the bus. We all struggled to get out. Most of us got out through the windows,” Kiguli told reporters.

He said several passengers were injured in the explosion.

According to police, the ADF rebels are also responsible for the two explosions that have rocked the country since Saturday.

A bomb exploded in a restaurant in the outskirts of Kampala on Saturday.

The two attacks came a few days after the UK warning that terrorists were about to strike in Uganda.