Police in Katakwi district have arrested nine youths, including a senior four candidate and primary school pupils, in connection with the suspected murder of a 19-year-old man during Independence Day celebrations.
George William Opolot was killed in Aleles village, Toroma sub-county, after an alleged disagreement between two groups of youths from Olupe and Akurao parishes escalated into a fight at Main Jamaica, a trading centre in Akurao, during the night of the celebrations.
Toroma sub-county LCIII chairperson John Bosco Orani said the confrontation reportedly stemmed from a dispute over two girls, identified only as Ester and Alaso, who were attending the gathering.
The disagreement allegedly degenerated into violence, leaving Opolot dead. Orani said the deceased was believed not to have been directly involved in the confrontation but was present when the fight broke out.
Local leaders have blamed recurring cases of youth violence on alcohol consumption, drug abuse and inadequate parental guidance. Orani urged parents to take a more active role in guiding their children and correcting behaviour that could expose them to violence or criminal activity.
Katakwi District LC V chairperson Geoffrey Omolo also attributed the incidents to poor parenting, saying some parents were failing to guide and restrain their children.
Meanwhile, a separate incident on the same day left another man dead after a mob reportedly attacked him over allegations of theft.
The deceased, identified as Francis Ongiroi, a resident of Oidotongor Village in Osuguro Parish, Kapujan Sub-county, was reportedly killed while attempting to flee an integration meeting.
The circumstances surrounding Ongiroi’s death were not immediately clear. The two incidents have raised fresh concerns about violence among young people and mob justice in Katakwi, with local leaders calling for stronger parental guidance and efforts to address the factors contributing to the incidents.