Kapchorwa businessman gunned down, assailants at large

Police in Kapchorwa District in eastern Uganda are investigating a case in which one of the prominent businessmen in the area was shot dead.
Felix Cheptoek, 34, was gunned down by unknown assailants on Friday night in Chenwach Village, Teryet Parish.

Cheptoek was attacked on his way home in Kapchorwa town, according to police.
Mr Fredmark Chesang, the Sipi Region police spokesperson said they are hunting for the assailants to establish the motive of the attack.
“The businessman was killed by unknown assailants at around 9pm and the police are conducting investigations to establish the motive of the assailants,” he said.
He says the body was taken to Kapchorwa Hospital for postmortem.

“We appeal to the community to provide us with any useful information connected to the murder to help us trace the assailants,” he added.
Chenwach Village chairperson, Mr Moses chelangat, said Saturday that he heard gunshots at around 9pm but thought it was the security team enforcing curfew.
“When I heard the gunshots, I thought it was the security team enforcing curfew in the area. I was so shocked when my door was knocked this morning by a resident informing me about the murder,” he said.

Mr John Cheptoek, a close relative to the deceased described him as “a humble and generous businessman.”
Several gun related crimes have been registered in the region in the last few months.
Last month, a gang of suspected thugs operating in the eastern parts of the country raided two police posts in Kween and Bukwo districts and took three away three guns.
Two of the guns were grabbed from police officers at the Anti-Stock theft Unit (ASTU) camp in Mulungwa Village, Benet Sub-county in Kween District, on April 26. The thugs first attacked Kortek Police Post in Bukwo District on April 18.

Shortly after the incident, a joint security team, including the army, visited both scenes for evidence gathering.
One of the suspects allegedly reported his colleagues to one of the detectives after the attack, leading to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of the three AK-47 guns.
Additional reporting by Yahudu Kitunzi