Authorities in the Kidepo Valley area have reported the tragic death of a Ugandan construction engineer in Bira Payam, Ikotos County of Eastern Equatoria State, on Monday.
The incident has resulted in other engineers involved in the school construction project ceasing work as a form of protest. Consequently, the construction of the school has come to a standstill following the engineer’s untimely demise.
Local authorities have alleged that the late Arnold Logwana, a 35-year-old engineer leading the construction of classrooms at Bira Primary School, was suspected of having an extramarital affair with his assailant. The school was in the process of expanding, with three additional classrooms being built in collaboration with the MANA Sudan organization.
Tito Abas, the executive director for Kidepo Valley at Chahari headquarters, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the suspect remains at large, and local youth are actively searching for his whereabouts. Abas expressed his concern regarding the lack of law enforcement personnel in the area, and he appealed to the government to deploy additional police officers to assist in maintaining order.
Abas explained, “Here is a criminal in Bira who killed a Ugandan national named Arnold. The assailant targeted Arnold and also threatened other Ugandan engineers who were constructing a school classroom block. The assailant accused the deceased of having an affair with his wife. He attacked the deceased, restrained and fatally beat him. To mislead the public, he staged the scene to appear as a suicide by hanging. At present, the local youth are actively searching for the suspect. In our area, we lack the necessary organized forces to enforce the laws. As a result, it falls on myself and the youth to take on the roles typically carried out by the police.”
He added, “I appeal to the government to send at least ten police officers to Kidepo Valley. This criminal has now disrupted a crucial construction project. I hope for his swift arrest, God-willing. The suspect’s baseless accusations caused the Ugandan colleagues of the deceased to abandon the construction project, which was nearly completed.”
Caesar Ingong Abondio, the executive director for Ikotos County, has confirmed the incident and assured that authorities are diligently working to apprehend the suspect. Abondio emphasized that the suspect should have pursued legal channels instead of resorting to violence.
“We coordinated with the police inspector to address the situation. We provided all the necessary instructions, and they reached Bira. It was discovered that the engineer had engaged in adultery with a medical assistant named Lomwang. The suspect reacted inappropriately, assaulting and killing the engineer. Upon hearing that the police, along with local youth, were on their way to arrest him, the suspect fled. The deceased’s body has been repatriated to his ancestral home in the Ugandan district of Karinga,” Abondio explained.
“At present, the suspect remains at large, hindering the commencement of investigations into the death of the Ugandan engineer. Once the suspect is apprehended, a thorough investigation will take place to determine appropriate compensation for the deceased’s family. As the administration, we will visit the site with the manager of MANA Sudan to explore options for resuming construction in the best interest of the community. This incident is the result of one individual’s actions. It should have been reported to the police, who would have handled the case in court regarding the allegations of adultery,” he added.
The official believes that once the investigation concludes, the school construction will resume. He maintains that this private matter has no bearing on the ongoing development in the region.
Meanwhile, Alimochan Proscovia, a female activist from the Voice of Change Organization based in Torit, expressed deep sorrow over the incident. She believes that both the government and the community share the responsibility of safeguarding investors in remote localities across the state.
“I feel deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident. In my opinion, the government should prioritize providing security, especially for international investors who come to such areas to serve our communities. With adequate security measures in place, everything will progress smoothly. The police must locate the suspect to prevent further loss of investors, which would ultimately impact our community. Additionally, the community itself should monitor the government’s work in our society to prevent such incidents from occurring again,” she said.