The joint security forces are hunting for suspected cattle rustlers who shot dead the LCIII chairperson of Napumpum sub-county in Kotido district.
Paul Lowok the LC-III chairperson in Napumpum sub county was among the suspects arrested by the security operatives during the Cordon and search operations which was launched last week across the region.
He was detained at 405 brigades but released on Friday after interrogations with the security command.
According the Col Wilberforce Sserenkuma the commander 405 brigade, the deceased was released on Friday and promised to recover a gun from one the suspected warrior he knew from his area.
Sserenkuma said that the chairman had a security meeting with the community on Sunday and today is when he had promised to deliver the gun to the forces.
‘’Today we expected to receive a gun from Lowok, but unfortunately we received a phone that he’s dead’’ Sserenkuma said.
He added that the deceased was shot dead while he was seated with others at the bar in Napumpum Trading Centre last night at 7:00 pm by suspected cattle raiders.
Paul Komol, the district chairperson Kotido said that when the deceased was released from the cells, he requested to give him a lift but security denied because of his bad health condition.
Komol said that the deceased was the carried in the army vehicle, which he suspects the warriors could have spotted him and tagged him as an informer.
However, Ismail Mohammed, the mayor of Moroto municipality noted that the local leaders in Karamoja are now targeted because they are the ones on the grassroots campaigning against the illegal guns.
He said the government should provide protection for the local leaders because they are unarmed yet there are engaging armed warriors.
The scene of crime is being managed and the body has been evacuated to Kotido General Hospital for postmortem.
Micheal Longole, the Mt. Moroto Regional Police spokesperson confirmed the incident, saying police has visited the scene and recovered some of the cartridges. “We will get them by all means, we shall deal with them,” he said.
The deceased’s body is lying in Kotido Hospital pending postmortem.
In the related development, Karimojong warriors have shot dead a UPDF soldier and injured two others in Kaabong.
The incident took place around 4 pm on Sunday along Loyoro, Losilang road. Major Isaac Oware the UPDF 3rd Division spokesperson, says that the three soldiers were riding a Motorcycle from Loyoro sub-county in Kaabong to Kotido and landed in an ambush staged by Karimojong warriors who shot at them randomly.
He identified the deceased as Pt. Lopec Lotuke who is attached to Entebbe but was on his pass-leave. According to Major, Oware the deceased will be laid at his ancestral home in Kotido.