A sleepy village in Karamoja was ripped apart by screams and fire when a man allegedly turned a single matchstick into a weapon of mass destruction — burning three children alive inside their own home.
Under the cover of darkness in Lokeru Village, Lorengecora Sub-County, Napak District, Michael Otyang is accused of locking his own children and sister-in-law inside a grass-thatched hut before striking a match and walking away as the flames swallowed them.
Within minutes, the hut was an inferno.
Ten-year-old Janet Nadoli, one-year-old Joan Nakodio, and three-year-old Emmanuel Lokong perished in the blaze. Their cries pierced the night as neighbors watched helplessly, unable to break through the raging fire.
Police say the motive was a bitter food dispute — a domestic quarrel that escalated into an act investigators describe as calculated and merciless.
“The suspect locked the victims inside the hut as they slept, then pulled out a matchbox and set it on fire,” said Mike Longole, spokesperson for the Mt Moroto Regional Police.
As the village reeled in horror, the suspect allegedly slipped into the darkness and began plotting his escape.
Before dawn, Otyang boarded a Gateway bus plying the Moroto–Busia route, determined to vanish into Busia Town and allegedly cross into Kenya through the porous border. Investigators believe he planned to blend in with members of the Karamojong community and disappear without a trace.
But his escape unraveled in the most unexpected way.
Police sources say Otyang did not have enough money to pay his bus fare. In a desperate move, he reportedly handed over his mobile phone to the bus driver as collateral, promising to redeem it upon arrival in Busia.
That phone became the clue that sealed his fate.
After traveling through Soroti, Bukedea, Kumi, Mbale, and Tororo, he reached Busia Town by Wednesday evening. Under the cover of darkness once again, he allegedly sought refuge with a Karamojong family in Mugungu Village, Central Parish, Western Division.
Meanwhile, police in Napak had launched a nationwide alert, circulating his name and photograph. When detectives traced his phone and contacted the Gateway bus driver, they learned the handset had been left behind because the owner lacked fare.
“When the driver told us the phone’s owner had traveled to Busia Town, it gave us a crucial lead,” a police source revealed.
Detectives in Busia teamed up with counterparts from Napak and quietly coordinated with Karamojong community leaders in Solo, Maranchi, Mugungu, and Mawero. The breakthrough came when a local leader reported that a man from Napak had recently arrived and was staying in a nearby home.
Police moved swiftly.
They raided the hut in Mugungu Village and found Otyang hiding inside. Officers say confirming his identity was chillingly simple.
“We called his name, and he responded,” a source said.
He was first detained at Busia Police Station before being handed over to Napak investigators.
What stunned officers even more was his reaction.
“Why are you arresting me? The children I killed are my own, so I have not committed any crime,” he reportedly said — showing no visible remorse.
The suspect is now in custody in Napak District as investigations continue ahead of prosecution.
For residents of Lokeru Village, however, justice cannot erase the horror of a night when a single matchstick turned a family home into a tomb.
