Three children found dead in house
Terrible. Residents gather near the house in which the children died yesterday morning. PHOTO BY BILL OKETCH
What you need to know:
- Home alone. The youngsters have reportedly been living alone with their 17-year-old maid for several months. Their mother is a businesswoman in South Sudan.
LIRA. Three children were yesterday morning found dead inside a house where they resided with two other minors in Central Division, Lira Municipality.
The deceased have been identified as Ivan Obong, his sister Elizabeth Akello and Mildred Akello, a maid.
Relatives and neighbours said the four siblings and their 17-year-old maid had been staying alone in the double-roomed house for several months.
The children’s mother, identified as Ms Night Akech, is reportedly doing business in Juba, the South Sudan capital, while their father, Mr Ben Oyaka, is said to be a resident of Aduku Town Council in Apac District.
The children have reportedly been under the care of their maid.
Ms Akech was last seen with her children around December last year.
One of the surviving children, a five-year-old boy, tried to wake up his siblings to go to school in vain.
He then ran to their grandmother’s home, which is close to their home, to report what had happened to his siblings.
The North Kyoga regional police spokesperson, Mr David Ongom Mudong, yesterday said: “Police have reached on the ground and have done the sketch map of the scene and will evacuate the bodies to Lira hospital mortuary for postmortem to establish what caused the death.”
He added: “We feel there is that element of child neglect, which is a crime. Police condemn it and of course our action will depend on the postmortem examinations.”
Relatives and neighbours said when they interacted with the five children on Tuesday they appeared to be in good health.
The children’ aunt, Ms Kevin Alyano, told Daily Monitor that she was informed by a friend that the children were found dead.
Child abuse statistics
In 2016, Uganda Police Force released a shocking report naming Lira District as the worst district for Ugandan children to live in. The statistics on child abuse showed that the northern Uganda district was leading in defilement, missing children, rape, battering and child neglect, making children in the district the most vulnerable.
In the report, Lango Sub-region that comprises Lira, Oyam, Kole, Otuke, Dokolo, Apac, Amolatar and Alebtong, was leading with 6,779 cases, of which 1,824 were registered in Lira alone.
