Police in Kitgum district are investigating the fatal shooting of two men by Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldiers deployed to guard a community kraal in Omiya-anyima sub-county.
The incident occurred at around 11:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 28, 2025, when the deceased, identified as Opiro Richard, 42, a peasant farmer from Amoyo Kol Village, and Obutu Joseph, 50, from Manyngeyi village, reportedly lost their way while driving two bulls from Abunayi farmland in Namokora sub-county.
According to East Acholi police PRO IP Joe Oloya, the two men mistakenly entered Kitileng community protected kraal where soldiers, suspecting them to be Karamojong cattle rustlers, opened fire, killing them instantly.
He said the case was reported to Kitgum Central Police Station on Friday morning by Ocen John Peter, the LC3 chairperson of Omiya-anyima dub-county, who condemned the shooting and called for calm as investigations proceed.
“We have lost innocent community members in very painful circumstances. I urge residents to remain calm and allow security and police to handle the matter lawfully,” Ocen said.
Kitgum Resident District Commissioner (RDC), Jimmy Ssegawa Ebill, described the incident as unfortunate and regrettable, promising a thorough probe to ensure justice for the victims.
He added that the government values the lives of every citizen saying his shooting was regrettable, and he assured the families that the matter will be investigated to its logical conclusion.
Peter Oyesyige, the Kitgum District Police Commander said the police have registered a case of murder by shooting and dispatched a team of officers to the crime scene, where it was documented.
He said statements have been recorded from relatives of the deceased as well as from the soldiers on duty.
“Postmortems were conducted at Namokora Health Center IV, while the firearms used in the incident remain under the custody of the Officer Commanding Kitileng army detachment,” he said
Aswa East Regional Police Spokesperson, IP Oloya Joe, confirmed the incident and said investigations are ongoing to establish full circumstances under which the shooting occurred.
Meanwhile, according to Captain Edrin Mawanda, the Public Information Officer of the 5th Infantry Division, the two soldiers, who were deployed to safeguard a community-protected kraal, shot and killed the two individuals near the main entry point.
This suspicion was later proven to be incorrect, he said, offering the UPDF apologies.
Additional reporting by Arao Denis.
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