By Robert Kalumba, Citizen Correspondent, Kampala

Kampala’s Kyadondo Rugby Club to many is known as a popular hangout. Every Saturday, pork, goat’s meat, music and beers is the unavoidable mix that is always found at the rugby club.

 

The partying does not end till the wee hours of the morning. Kyadondo Rugby Club is the go-to area when it comes to having a great time. So it came as no surprise that rugby club featured heavily for many revellers who wanted to watch the finals of the 2010 World Cup.

 

Everything was set; large screen, beers, and meat. But at 11.14pm, the party took a nasty turn. Despite having a reputation for being a great venue, the rugby club literally has no security arrangement. Anyone can go in and out without being checked.

Apart from the occasional private guard who helps out with the parking, there is no other security personnel at the rugby ground. Could this have given a massive edge to the perpetuators of last Sunday’s crime?

Open entry
According to several witnesses at the scene, there was no security presence at the grounds. There was only the occasional guard. “People were entitled to pay a small fee to enter the grounds to watch the match but there was nothing like people opening their bags to be checked or even having body search,” a witness said.

 

This sadly has been the hallmark of Kyadondo Rugby Club. Apart from days when concerts are held at the grounds, it is open to everyone who comes there. It is not clear whether laxity of secuirty at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds is to blame, but it could have played very well in the hands of those that planned the attack.