Suspected iron bar criminals on Monday morning waylaid a UPDF officer attached to Uganda Wildlife Authority Lance Coporal Moses Ceka, whom they clobbered on the head killing him instantly.

The incident occurred at Campswahili 20 meters away from South Police post in Moroto town, according to the third division spokesperson Capt. Deo Akiki.

Akiki said that the UPDF Special investigation department together with the police have launched investigations to establish the criminals who are committing heinous crimes.

The dead soldier was a detach commander at Kubebe 45 kilometres from Moroto where he left in order to streamline his salary obligations at the Division headquarters.

"Every month every UPDF officer is required to do this exercise. This is not the way our soldiers should be paid after bringing sanity to Karamoja and we condemn this act in the strongest terms possible," Capt. Akiiki said in a statement.

He explained that they have cautioned their troops to take extra caution as some enemies of peace see them as their enemies too.

Military police together with police have been put on alert to carry out fulltime patrols in Moroto town to deter such criminal activities from occurring.