A 19-year-old student has been murdered by an angry mob after he was found with the stolen cow of one of the locals in Kanoni Town Council in Gomba district.
The incident happened on November 5, 2024, in Kitemu village, Kanoni town council in Gomba district. The deceased has been identified as Bunya, a student of one of the secondary schools’ (names withheld) in Gomba district.
According to one of the locals identified as John Ssebufu, the owner of the cow had taken it near the Gomba district headquarters in Tondola for grazing, where Bunya found it, and took a different route to Kisasira village in Kitemu, where he met a mob that saw him with the stolen cow and then started beating him up.
Ssebufu added that much as Bunya asked for pardon, the angry mob paid a deaf ear.
’’Bunya was going to be burned to death; however, he died before it happened, but it is so sad that such a young boy lost his life in such petty theft,’’ Ssebufu revealed.
Read Also: Mob Justice Claims Life of Suspected Coffee Thief in Gomba District
In an interview with journalists, the LC I Chairperson of Kitemu, Yusuf Kironde, condemned the acts of mob justice that are spreading widely in Gomba, noting that in October 2023, another youth was killed after he was caught red-handed inside a poultry farm stealing hens, and this happened in the same area where Ssebufu has been killed.
Kironde said that the deceased might not have been a resident of Kitemu because his mother is a resident of Sekulo village and his father is from Namuyovu in Kyegonza sub-county in Gomba district.
’’When police came to take the body of the deceased, the stolen cow was nowhere to be found; however, investigations are underway so that the culprits who did this can be arrested,’’ he noted.
Police in Kanoni took the body of the deceased to the mortuary of Gombe in Butambula district.
Recent reports from Gomba district highlight a troubling trend in cattle theft, leading to multiple arrests and ongoing investigations.
On April 9, 2024, nine individuals were arrested in connection with ongoing cattle thefts at a state farm in Gomba. This operation was initiated after five cows were reported missing on March 29, 2024, leading to an investigation that uncovered a network of cattle dealers and farm workers involved in the thefts. Among those arrested was a veterinary officer who allegedly conspired with the dealers.
The situation in Gomba reflects broader issues of livestock theft in Uganda, which not only affects farmers economically but also raises concerns about security and community safety. However, law enforcement agencies are intensifying their efforts to address this challenge through arrests and community engagement initiatives.
