Eight held over Kapchorwa police killing
IGP Kale Kayihura (left) speaks to police and residents of Kapchorwa at the crime scene on Tuesday evening. PHOTO BY JOYCE CHEMITAI
Kapchorwa- At least eight people have been arrested in connection with the killing of Police Constable Charles Oulanya at Kapchorwa Boma grounds on Tuesday evening.
Although police put the number at four, residents said eight people were picked from Kongowo Guest House near the crime scene on Wednesday afternoon after police chief Gen Kale Kayihura inspected the area.
Mr Stephen Labu, the proprietor of the guest house told this newspaper that five young men and three young women were arrested.
“I was out of town at the time of the arrest but I hear the officers just picked the eight people from the guest house,” Mr Labu said, claiming that his children and staff were being framed.
His two sons, a customer, and five workers were arrested and taken to Kapchorwa Central Police Station.
Sipi regional police spokesperson Rogers Crispus Taitaka, however, insisted that they had arrested only four men.
“We have four men whose identity we can’t disclose to you right now. They are helping us with our investigations,” he said, adding that they were still looking for the gun that the attackers took away from Oulanya.
Unknown men on Tuesday night hacked the police officer to death as he guarded a trade show at Kapchorwa Municipality Boma grounds and took off with his gun.
Gen Kayihura, during the visit to the mountainous district, blamed police chiefs in the area for poor deployment at the crowded trade show.
Vulnerable
“You make yourself vulnerable, so they attack you. It is very difficult to attack a military establishment…so they go for police. I thought this had changed. Even us in the bush, we used to target police stations because they were vulnerable,” the police chief said during a security meeting he called after visiting the scene of crime.
“To say that you had deployed four! Although now you are increasing to six... They were four, that is what you told me when you gave me a report on phone last night,” Gen Kayihura fumed at the Kapchorwa District police commander Emily Angomuko.
