Body of 44-year-old man found decomposing in Lira swamp, police probe suspected murder

By Okidi Patrick Ocamoyitdyel

LIRA, UGANDA: The territorial police in Lira District are investigating a suspected case of murder by assault that occurred on August 22, 2026, at Awiodyek swamp in Awiodyek B Village, Awiodyek Parish, Awiodyek Sub-county, Lira District.

The case was formally reported on August 25, 2026, at 11:58am by Okello Walter, 26, from the same village.

The deceased has been identified as Ongenyo Tonny, 44, a resident of the same area.

Preliminary findings indicate that on August 22 at around 8:00pm, Ongenyo parked his motorcycle at home and left on foot for a nearby trading centre but never returned.

Relatives searched for him the following day without success. On August 25, his biological son reported his disappearance at Wiodyek Sub-county Police Station.

Later that day, at about 1:00pm, while taking cows to drink water at Awiodyek swamp with his brother, they noticed a foul smell and discovered their father’s body lying naked on its back in a decomposing state. His shorts and trousers were on his face, while his shirt was found in the nearby grass.

Police from Wiodyek Sub-county station were notified and alerted Lira District Central Police Station for further management.

The scene was visited by a team from Lira CPS led by the Officer in Charge of Criminal Investigations Department (OC CID) and documented by the Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO). Statements were recorded from witnesses and the body was conveyed to Lira Regional Referral Hospital mortuary pending postmortem.

No arrest has been made, but intelligence operatives are on the ground to identify and apprehend suspects.

SP Patrick Jimmy Okema, the North Kyoga Region Police Spokesperson, described the incident as unfortunate and appealed for calm.

“We still do not know the motives of the perpetrators. We call for calmness and appeal to community members to always find better approaches to resolving conflicts than taking the law into their own hands,” Okema said.