Ivan - #ChangingTrends

Tragedy has struck the deaf community following the killing of Barbara Kiyaga Bassozi, the founder and Executive Director of Deaf Link Uganda. Bassozi was gunned down last night at Mucha Lodge in Kisoro District, where she was spending a four-day holiday to mark her 58th birthday. The Lens online news platform reports that the attack took place in Kiraro Village, Rwingwe Parish, Nyakabande Sub-County, in the early hours of Thursday, November 5, 2026, between 1:00 AM and 2:00 AM, when locals heard gunshots. Early investigations indicate that the lodge security guard was shot in the legs as he exchanged fire with the attackers. The gunmen later broke into the premises and shot Bassozi dead. She was hit seven times, and police reportedly picked up fifteen spent cartridges from the scene. Bassozi was a highly educated and experienced advocate. She earned a Master's degree in Deaf Education from Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. in 2003, and a Bachelor's degree in Secondary Education from Makerere University. For more than 35 years, she worked with deaf and deafblind adults across the world, including in the United Kingdom and India, teaching life skills and reproductive health to deaf youth. Through Deaf Link Uganda, she championed access to communication, challenged stigma against deaf people, advocated for sign language in Uganda's national curriculum, and worked to open up economic opportunities for the deaf community. Her global contribution was recognized in 2013 when she received the prestigious Edward Miner Gallaudet Award for her service to deaf people internationally.