City Lawyer dies in bar brawl in Mengo

The Police have kicked off investigations under which Tony Ngobi Kanalo, a prominent lawyer died from head injuries sustained during a brawl in a bar in Mengo, a Kampala suburb. 

The incident happened at around 1am on  Independence Day eve at T.1 bar in Mengo.

Some sources say Kanalo succumbed to a stroke at Mengo Hospital on Sunday as a result of a bar brawl on Wednesday.

Luke Owoyesigyire says, “During the incident, Kanalo was pushed by a bouncer and hit his head on concrete.  He lay unattended to before a Samaritan rushed him to hospital where he was diagnosed with a blood clot on the head ” Kampala Metropolitan deputy spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire said.

Eyewitness accounts also point out that during the fateful morning, the bouncer hit the lawyer, forcing him to land on his head “uncontrollably” on the ground.

Kanalo even on his deathbed, still had a vivid memory of what transpired on Wednesday night.

“It was around 1:00 am, the bouncer pushed me, I fell and hit my head down,” he told a detective amidst his struggle to speak.

The story starts on Wednesday night when Kanalo a renowned free spirit hit T. I bar and lounge in Mengo and like other revelers on rollcall that night, went about his business.

However, Kanalo is said to have gotten into a confrontation with one of the bouncers at the Bar who pushed him, forcing him to land awkwardly, head first.

“In a very unprofessional manner, the bouncer beat him up forcing him to land on his head uncontrollably on the ground,” a witness statement reads in part.

“He was left unattended to and unconscious outside the bar where a Good Samaritan found him approximately an hour later,” the statement continues.

Kanalo was taken to Lisa Clinic which is a stone’s throw away from the bar, but they could not maintain him as his condition turned to worse.

It is said that when the bar owner heard of Kanalo’s situation, he was transferred quickly to Mengo Hospital where it was diagnosed that some blood had spilled in his brain, causing him stroke.

During the time, he was visited by relatives and friends, including his children and he was in a buoyant mood despite difficulties speaking and opening his eyes.

On Friday evening, Kanalo was wheeled in for a surgical operation, but he did not wake up from it. He was consequently pronounced dead on Sunday evening.

It should be noted that President Museveni has consistently pronounced himself on the closure of bars and discos, citing that revelers are ungovernable in regard to COVID-19 standard operating procedures.

In his initial speech, President Museveni said such are a “danger to themselves”.

In his most recent speech, the President reiterated that bard and clubs would remain closed until the country achieves a vaccination target that is optimally acceptable.

The president also maintained that curfew hours would not be relaxed from 7:00 pm to 6:00 am. It is, therefore, a question to address as to why the specific bar where Kanalo met his fate was open.