Locals in Kito village in Sekanyonyi sub county have woken up to a shocking discovery of a body of a young man dead along the road in Mityana district with a cow tied near his corpse.

This discovery was made in the wee hours of the morning on February 11, 2025.

The deceased is yet to be identified though locals believe he looked to be around the age of 25-28 years.

The locals allege that he might have been caught stealing cows, which prompted his assailants to kill him and leave the cow behind as evidence due to the prevalence of cattle theft in the area.

Ivan Besigomwe, a local said that Kito village has been facing a problem of cattle theft for a very long time.

He added that despite all evidence implicating the deceased as a cattle thief, police should investigate further into this case.

’’The deceased is not known in the area, so police should carry out investigations and find out who owns the cow that was tied to the tree near the deceased’s body if we want to find out the truth behind his death,’’ Besigomwe revealed.

Wamala Region Police Spokesperson SP Racheal Kawala said that investigations are underway assuring the public of police commitment in handling the case.

‘’Yes, we have evidence of a stolen cow; however, we do not know what really led to the death of this young man despite the locals claiming he was caught stealing, so we are going to do our best to get to the bottom of this issue,’’ Kawala said.

She, however cautioned the locals to stop committing mob justice, as it can easily lead to the death of innocent people and also limit the arrest of other suspects involved in the said crime.

Cattle theft has remained a significant issue in Mityna and surrounding districts, with multiple incidents reported and ongoing efforts by law enforcement to combat this crime.

In September 2024, police in Kiboga arrested three suspects, including one from Mityana district identified as Paul Kamya, 18, for transporting stolen cows in a taxi.

The three were arrested after one of the butchers in Lufula Cell in Kiboga Town Council informed police that they were three suspects who were selling cows to them without any documentation, yet it was illegal and suspicious.