Like all other devastating memories in life, the dreadful blast that we witnessed and narrowly survived at Kyadondo Rugby club on 11 July, is still as terrifyingly imprinted in our mind as if it just struck only seconds ago.
  
I (Daniel Tatya) and my colleague Henry Mulindwa had been assigned by The Sunrise news paper, the media house both of us work for, to cover the event which was expected to draw as it deed, multitudes to watch the ever first world cup final on African soil being shown on a giant screen amidst great raveling and everything that was expected to come with it.

Mulindwa, who has a great passion for the Spanish team was clad in a Spanish decorated T-shirt in solidarity with countless Spanish fans that would turn up that evening while I (Daniels Tatya) turned up in a casual weekend wear regardless of my sympathy for the Dutch and the two of us made for the show that later on turned bloody.

On arrival, the well lit venue was already teeming with raveling fans, although many more were still arriving and we considered ourselves lucky to have found a few remaining seats in the company of company of Lowe Scanard group employees.

Shortly, we soon ordered for refreshments and some nyama kyoma, both of which were in plenty, to fit in the company of our immediate neighbors all of whom were already in a charged mood screaming and chanting in a wild support for their respective teams even before the match got well underway.

The  match begins
The match finally kicked off at exactly 9:30 after the crowd had been treated to several music performances from among others, Yoyo and Bebe cool and we like the rest of the crowd were soon thrown up into frenzy totally oblivious of any possible security threat around us.  

At half time
The first forty five minutes of the game soon came to an end to give  way for another musical interlude with some  fans engrossed in following comments by AUB match commentators while others were catching -up on the match's most exciting highlights.
 
The blasts
Shortly, the Second half soon got underway. 42 minutes later, at a time where every fan's attention on the screen was at its highest probably because the match was drawing to a close without a score on either side confirming the commentator's earlier prediction that the match was bound to go through extra time.

Suddenly, it's not the screen that went off, not a score, neither a substitution nor a power cut but a loud blast in the middle of the crowd went off!

About a minute later another blast followed
Henry Mulindwa like many other fans quickly scampered off their seats for dear life.

Benumbed with fear, on the other hand I remained transfixed on my chair after both blasts went off to the extent that any body would be excused for assuming that I was staring at something unusual or that nothing had happened at all.

Mulindwa's narrow escape
Narrating his version of the tragedy to me minutes later, Mulindwa intimated that "I, out of nowhere found myself in a trench. And after that realization, I began to crawl away from danger while I also made futile attempts to protect others whom I thought were least able to help themselves to safety.

Assuming the role of a security operative in the middle of the tragedy, I found myself shouting at the top of my voice to whoever could hear me to take cover to limit chances of being hit other objects that we were sure to continue from all directions!

Lying at the bottom of the trench, I soon began to worry for my colleague Daniel whom I was now convinced was either already killed or too hurt to crawl out of the scene. But luckily as I was still worrying about him he called me and the two of us rejoined to celebrate the unbelievable fact that we were fortunately still alive! It was such a narrow escape!"

Tatya's survival
To me, it was unbelievable to see my self still alive in the midist of several others already killed with others screaming in pain due to terrible wounds inflicted on their bodies.
Most intriguing was the fact that the person next to me whom I believe became my shield or sacrifice died instantly after bleeding profusely from his face where most of the wounds he suffered were inflicted. I cant express how sorry I felt that he died!

Next to him was another decapitated body with stretched limbs horrifyingly lying in another pool of blood!

Just then, having realized that Mulindwa was not on my side I was overcome by great fear that, like my two neighbors he had already met his fate. Nevertheless a desperate idea to call his number hit my head after which I did not hastate to call him at once.

But to my disbelief, his phone was ringing. More than that, he, to my relief, picked it and confirmed me that he was still alive and safe albeit hiding in a trench meters away from the sport.

It was hard for me to believe that such a coincidence would happen before our very eyes; that fate would pounce at two of our neighbors and leaving out the two of us alive  to tell our story ; making the tragedy  the closest I have ever come  closest to my grave!

Meanwhile, despite desperate attempts that were being made to call police, it alas, took them a whole hour to respond and sadly, twenty fans had already bled to death by the time they arrived to the scene.

It goes without saying that every body who was lucky to still be alive at that time was, like me, expecting more blast to go on any time soon, making it imperative and prudent for any courageous survivors to cautiously  tiptoe our way out of  danger hardly believing that we were still alive!

Our most heart felt condolence and sympathy goes to those dear families that have lost their dear ones during that heinous attack at the tragic scene that has entered history books as the worst terrorist attack in Uganda's history, while our most humble petition will always be to the same almighty who considered our lives dear, to grant healing mercies to those other survivors who are still bed ridden in various hospitals undergoing excruciating pain both body and soul!    
The writers are journalist at The Sunrise Newspaper.

By Daniels N.Tatya & Henry Mulindwa