Fear grips Serere as police record three murders in one day

SERERE - Serere district has been rocked by a wave of suspected murders, with three people found dead in separate incidents within just 24 hours.

Local authorities have linked the killings to a long-standing land dispute.

In Okokoma village, Kongoto parish, Bugondo Sub County, two siblings— Jane Atai, 50, and Sabiti Akol, 45 — were brutally killed on Wednesday (May 7, 2025) afternoon.

John Ocuku, the LCI chairperson of Okokoma village,  who confirmed the incident, reported that the murder is linked to close relatives of the deceased who have since gone into hiding.

He reported that the deceased had, on the fateful day, gone with land surveyors to demarcate a contested piece of land involving their nephews.

Simon Emokol, an uncle to the deceased, said he had attempted to mediate the conflict over 10 times but failed to resolve the matter.

The 15-year court dispute, according to the LCS, remains unresolved.

Rose Akwango, the owner of the home where the murders occurred, narrated that the killings happened while she had gone to fetch water at a nearby borehole. 

On her return, she was horrified to find the two women lying in a pool of blood, prompting her to flee in fear.

In another incident, a 60-year-old Janet Kongai Awalu was murdered in her house on Friday (April 09) in Obulai village, Akoboi parish, Olio Sub County. David Adiamet said they found the door open and the house ransacked, with his mother missing before her body was later discovered.

James Otigo, the LCI chairperson of Obulai, condemned the act, describing it as shocking and inhumane.

Serere Resident District Commissioner (RDC) John Robert Adiama called on residents to seek peaceful means of resolving domestic disputes.

He assured the public that investigations into the three murder cases have been intensified.