Dennis Ojwee
27 February 2008
Kampala — AN angry husband allegedly burned to death 10 people, including seven children, in a grass-thatched hut at Awere internally displaced persons' camp, 70km from Gulu town. The hut, where the victims were asleep, was set on fire at about 1:00am yesterday.
The Police suspect that local trader Francis Olwoch wanted to kill his estranged wife, Paska Akello, who had left him following a domestic dispute.
He allegedly poured petrol on the hut before setting it ablaze. Olwoch was arrested shortly afterwards by a Special Police Force patrol and is being held at Gulu Central Police Station.
Gulu Police chief Richard Ochieng said he would face murder charges. Akello died at St. Mary's Lacor Hospital where she had been admitted with serious burns. The couple's two-year-old child also perished in the inferno.
Among the other children who burned to death were Floria Akello, 9, Stella Ajok, 11, Hacklyn Apiyo, 7, Charles Opiyo, 3, Stella Angom, 10 and Floria Acen, 4.
The children belonged to several families in the camp but were staying in the hut belonging to Akello's parents due to lack of space. Another woman killed in the incident, Filda Adong, was a family friend.
Olwoch, who had been displaced by the war, had left the camp to set up a shop in Awere trading centre, where he had been staying with his wife until August last year.
Residents said he was bitter with his in-laws, whom he accused of taking away his wife alleging mistreatment and failure to pay the bride price. Akello had just completed a catering course run by the Norwegian Refugee Council, together with her friend, Adong, who died alongside her.
David Komakech, a cousin to the suspected murderer, was also arrested. He was accused of having connived with Olwoch to carry out the murder.
The residents of Awere camp, which houses 6,800 people, were left in shock at the sight of the charred bodies, hurdled together. Most of them were facing down, in an apparent attempt to shield themselves from the burning roof.
"My son committed a terrible crime," cried out Olwoch's father, Ocan Janayo.
"I wish he had shared his grievances with me in time. I could have solved this problem before he had rushed to kill them. Let the Government deal with him."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
