At least six homesteads in Agurut parish, Nyero Sub County, Kumi District have been burnt down in a raid to avenge the death of a female primary school teacher.
Harriet Amuriat, a born of Nyero and a teacher at Camp Deborah infants’ school international located in Gayaza, Wakiso District was allegedly killed by her boyfriend on Good Friday.
It’s alleged that the suspect who also hails from the same parish convinced Amuriat through telephone calls to travel from Kampala to Asuret Sub County, Soroti District for Easter celebrations.
The suspect has been living in Soroti with his two daughters while doing electronic business of repairing phones.
When Amuriat arrived at their rented room in Asuret trading centre, the suspect is said to have locked the house, strangled her before he also attempted to commit suicide by taking poison over unknown reasons that have become a subject of police inquest.
Detectives said Amuriat’s body had deep cuts in the face, suspected to have been occasioned by a sharp objects.
By the time their daughters returned from school where they had gone to train in hairdressing, they reportedly found their mother dead and the father unconscious.
Asuret Sub County LCIII chairperson, Mr Thomas Alimu said they received information of the murder incident after the children tipped the community members who also communicated to the police.
Amuriat’s body was first taken to Soroti regional hospital for postmortem. The suspect was also admitted at the same facility for treatment under police watch.
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Compensation
On Saturday, her body was picked by the relatives on condition that the suspect’s relatives and clan bear the burial costs of Shs2 million and pay compensation of Shs8 million which had been agreed by the suspects clan.
However, by noon on Easter Sunday, the money had not been raised prompting Amuriat’s relatives to carry the dead body to the suspect’s home in protest where they burnt down houses, destroyed crops and other properties.
The LC III chairperson for Nyero Sub County, Mr Gilbert Okou said six homesteads were burnt down.
He also said that the raiders destroyed cassava plantations belonging to the neighbors and cut down the citrus farm belonging to the suspect.
The police spokesperson for east Kyoga region, Mr Oscar Greg Ageca condemned the raid and said: “We don’t cordon criminality, the suspect killed his wife and he is still getting treatment under our custody and we expect the public to respect that. Therefore, I want to warn that anyone who conducts the raids should be ready to face the law or go to prison because we shall arrest them.”
The clan chairperson of Irarak Ilianai said the raid would have not taken place if the suspect’s clan had fulfilled their agreed obligation of paying compensation and burial costs.
