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Katakwi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Six suspects who have been collaborating with cattle thieves in Katakwi district have been remanded to Katakwi prison. They were arrested by the joint security forces early this week following an increase in the number of cases of cattle theft in the district.
They are Martin Aurumo of Osasia village in Magoro sub county, Phillip Obwakori, Julius Moses Kwapi, John Robert Obwale, Charles Edangat, and Sam Omoding, all residents of Okode village in Okore sub county. They were on Thursday remanded by Paul Abdonson Owino, the Grade One Magistrate of Katakwi.
They were part of the ten suspects who were arrested. However, four were granted bail and include Moses Ojao of Achanga village, John Robert Obwale of Aleles village and Joseph Outa of Olilim village, all in Palam sub county, according to the East Kyoga Regional Police Spokesman Oscar Gregg Ageca.
Stephen Ekoom, the Resident District Commissioner in Katakwi says the team was traced using some of the phones abandoned in some homesteads that were raided. Ekoom says that he convened a district security meeting where they resolved to subject the recovered phones to the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence-CMI for investigations.
Geoffrey Omolo, the LCV chairperson says that cattle theft in Katakwi has been a syndicate between residents in the area and the cattle thieves in Karamoja.
In Kapelebyong district, three suspected Karimojong thieves were arrested in another joint security operation on Thursday. The suspects are Aleper Lokoriteba, Simon Deide and Logir Lemukol. They were arrested with four stolen cattle within the district.
Information from Katakwi district indicates that there has been a decline in cases of cattle theft since the arrest of collaborators.
Ekoom says that since February 2021, the district has lost more than 600 cattle to thieves and only about 500 have been recovered.
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