Bizarre: Suspected cattle thieves admitted after ‘eating grass’

Alooni Aminsi (mid) with relatives at Kamuli Hospital. PHOTO BY SAM CALEB OPIO

What you need to know:

  • The area LC1 Chairman, Mr Zadik Kagawa, on Sunday said two days after stealing the cow, the suspects returned to where they stole the cow from and started eating grass and mowing like a cow later in the day.
  • Police were called in to arrest the suspects and take them to hospital for treatment.

KAMULI. Two suspected cattle thieves have been admitted at Kamuli Hospital after reportedly chewing cud and mowing like cows.

Mr George Basoga and Alone Amisi, both residents of Mukokotokwa Village, Mbulamuti Sub County in Kamuli District allegedly stole a cow belonging to Mr Christopher Alaminsi of the same Village last week and sold it to cattle vendors at Shs1.5 million

Mr Alaminsi, however, reportedly sought the help of a Palisa-based witchdoctor to recover and punish the thieves.

The area LC1 Chairman, Mr Zadik Kagawa, on Sunday said two days after stealing the cow, the suspects returned to where they stole the cow from and started eating grass and mowing like a cow later in the day.

Police were called in to arrest the suspects and take them to hospital for treatment.

George Basoga lying on a hospital bed after being admitted for eating grass. PHOTO BY SAM CALEB OPIO

“We convened a meeting on Saturday in which the duo confessed to committing the crime and were ordered to pay Shs3.5m in addition to refunding the Shs1.5m proceeds from the sale of the cow,” Mr Kagawa said.

The Kamuli Hospital medial superintendent, Dr Zaidi Atuma, said they received the patients and gave them medical attention in addition to psycho-social support.

“Often, patients come with such associated complaints and we handle them until they get out of the perceived witchcraft. It is not easy handling psychotic patients,” Dr Atuma said.