Uganda police hunting for deadly New Year concert organizers

Uganda's police force has said the organizers of the New Year concert where nine people died in a stampede in the capital, Kampala, were being sought for interrogation.

The stampede that occurred at Freedom City, Namasuba, as the crowds welcomed the New Year, has attracted widespread criticism directed to the police and the local authorities for allegedly failing to enforce safety and crowd management standards.

Julius Katongole, a Namasuba resident attributed the incident to poor planning by both the landlord and the promoters of the event.

However, police said the area met all the safety standards and instead blamed the deadly incident on the recklessness of the organizers.

The Deputy Police spokesperson in Kampala, Luke Owoyesigyire said, this was not the first time to host such events in the area, and it has hosted many other events of the caliber for decades.

"Anytime we shall have arrests made. We are trying to have Abitex Musinguzi, the alleged event organizer and the Master of Ceremonies (MC) who reportedly told people to move out for fireworks," Owoyesigyire said.

The concert dubbed "Party after Party" was reportedly organized by a renowned events company in Kampala called Emma Promotions alongside Abitex Musinguzi.

The police in its earlier statement on Sunday indicated that nine people, mostly children, had died in the commotion. However, it was feared that the number could be higher.

Owoyesigyire in the statement said the police at Katwe were investigating an incident of rash and neglect that occurred at the New Year's Eve.

The incident he said occurred a few moments after midnight of Jan 1, 2023 when the event's Master of Ceremonies encouraged attendees to go outside to watch the fireworks display.

A source that attended the concert, told China Daily that the organizers did not open the doors, forcing people to squeeze into one exit.

It is here that the stampede ensued, resulting in the instant deaths of people and injuries to several others.