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Butaleja police officer dies after machete attack in land fight
Medical officers at Muyembe health centre four in Bulambuli District attend to Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Leonard Namago, 52 who was admitted while unconscious after he was attacked by a machete in fight over a piece of land on December 23, 2019. PHOTO BY YAHUDU KITUNZI
What you need to know:
- The attack comes at a time when complaints about land grabbing soaring.
- The suspect is on the run but a case of murder has already been registered under CRB 646/2019 at Sironko central police station.
The officer in charge Nawanjofu police post in Butaleja District in eastern Uganda has died shortly after he was hacked in fight over a piece of land.
Assistant Inspector of Police (AIP) Leonard Namago, 52, was allegedly attacked by one Micheal Wanyema at Simu Pondo in Sironko District on Monday before he was rushed to Muyembe health centre four in Bulambuli District.
He was pronounced dead on arrival, according to the Elgon region Police Spokesman, Mr Robert Tukei.
Police preliminary investigations indicate that the officer had a longstanding land dispute with the suspect.
"The deceased and the suspect today (Monday) met on the same piece of land where they picked a quarrel. The suspect who was at the time armed with a machete jumped and cut the officer several times on the head, arm and the leg. He sustained very deep cuts and was rushed to hospital unconscious," said Mr Tukei said.
Mr Tukei said the Sironko District CID officer, Mr Richard Mwijukye and a team of other detectives who included scene of crime officers have visited the scene of the attack to gather more evidence.
Mr Tukei said an autopsy was done and the body handed over to relatives for burial.
He said the suspect is on the run. But a case of murder has already been registered under CRB 646/2019 at Sironko central police station.
The attack comes at a time when complaints about land grabbing soaring.
Addressing journalists in Kampala in November 2019, Justice Catherine Bamugemereire who chaired the Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters said they received 7,767 complaints with 50 per cent of them on land grabbing and evictions, corruption and fraudulent practices on land.
“These do not include the number of calls that came in daily, which come to tens of thousands,” Justice Bamugemereire said.
In about 30 months of its inquiry, the Commission exposed cases of double land titling where several persons hold titles over the same parcel of land.
