Ailing grandmother struggles for justice
Ms Katherine Auma weeps as police bring back the body of her granddaughter in November 2011 who was beaten to death by a mob for allegedly stealing cassava. Ms Auma’s great grandchild, Lea Atto, is now severely malnourished. PHOTO BY HUDSON APUNYO
What you need to know:
Sad. Ms Auma says it hurts to see people who killed her granddaughter walk around the village freely.
LIRA
Life has never been the same for ailing Katherine Imat Auma whose daughter and bread winner was brutally killed in 2011 on allegations that she stole cassava from a neighbour’s garden.
Ms Auma was being taken care of by her granddaughter Agnes Akwee in Owiti village, Amuca Parish in Lira Sub-county, about 11 kilometres outside Lira Town.
Hell broke loose for Ms Auma on November 16, 2011 when Akwee was dragged from home by a neighbour to answer why an alarm was being made behind her. Akwee never returned alive.“They dragged my her from home and killed her on allegations of stealing cassava,” says Ms Auma who is now partially blind. “I saw her being dragged and could not help her as I was sick,”
Akwee, a mother of four was dragged to a cassava plantation in the neighbourhood and people descended on her. She was beaten until she was weak and dragged on the ground to the home of the area LC1. She died from the LC’s home.
Ms Auma now lives in a dilapidated grass-thatched house together with her great grandchildren Gerald Acut, 10, Sarah Akite, 14, Mercy Ejang, 7, and Lea Atto, 3.
Out of school
Acut has since dropped out of school due to lack of money to buy scholastic materials and pay fees, while Lea is malnourished and has been referred to Therapeutic Feeding Centre at Lira hospital. In their dilapidated house, Imat Auma has nothing completely except for an old and dirty papyrus mat, old blanket, jug and partly broken pot of water. Her great grandson Gerald sleeps on sacks and covers himself with a torn blanket. They eat at the mercy of good Samaritans.
Following Akwee’s death, police visited the scene, and some people were arrested and produced in court. They were charged with murder. They were 72-year-old Elem Verman, who dragged the deceased from her home, Mr Obonyo Albino, and Mr Adoko Bernard, They were released on court bail after finishing their mandatory remand period.
Detective Bernard Agwe said police finished investigations in May and sent the file to the Resident State Attorney. “Later, the suspects were released on court bail, but we now have a warrant of arrest,” Mr Agwe said. He said the police have been tasked to look for the other suspects who remained at large.
