By Lee Ofoymungu

NEBBI – Residents of Jupuyik Upper Village, Jupangira Parish in Jupangira Sub-county, Nebbi District were thrown into shock and mourning after their LC1 Chairperson, Ocowun Emmanuel also Known as Manueli, was found dead in his garden in Kei Village on Monday, September 28, 2026.

According to his wife, Akumu Jenety, the deceased left home early Monday morning to plant beans and maize in his garden, about 4 kilometres from home. She said her husband would normally return between 10:00am and 11:00am, but by midday he had not returned.

“I got concerned because he always comes back early. I told the children that today their father was delaying, which was unusual,” Akumu told this publication.

She said by 4:00pm there was still no sign of him. At around 6:00pm, she together with two of her children went to the garden to search for him. After hours of searching, they discovered his lifeless body lying in the garden at around 7:30pm.

His son, Ofoyrwoth Godwin, corroborated the account. He said his father spoke to the family before leaving, handed his phone to one of his younger brothers to take for charging, and carried two cups of beans and maize seeds to the garden.

“We waited for him in vain. When we went to search, we found him lying dead with his cap still on his head. His panga and hoe were lying next to him,” Ofoyrwoth said.

Manueli, who had served Jupuyik Upper Village for decades, had recently been re-elected as LC1 Chairperson after defeating his opponents in the recent LC1 elections.

By press time, police had not yet visited the scene and were yet to issue an official statement. Family members and community members who rushed to the garden after being informed retrieved the body and transported it to his home in Jupuyik Upper Village.

The sudden death has sparked an outpouring of grief, with residents and friends taking to social media to pay tribute and call for his soul to rest in peace.

The cause of death remains unknown. Residents have appealed to police to expedite investigations and conduct a postmortem to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.

Unexplained Deaths in National Crime Statistics

While police are yet to classify Ocowun’s death, cases of sudden and unexplained deaths continue to feature prominently in Uganda’s national crime statistics.

According to the Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report 2025, a total of 4,238 homicide cases were reported to police in 2025, representing a 2.1% decrease from 4,329 cases reported in 2024. 

The report further indicates that of the homicide cases, 4,328 people were deliberately killed, translating to an average of 11 murders per day, with assault accounting for 1,326 deaths as the leading cause. Overall, reported crimes dropped by 10.2%, from 218,715 in 2024 to 196,405 in 2025. 

Police say investigations into such deaths typically require a postmortem examination and forensic analysis to establish the exact cause before a conclusive statement is issued.

Lee Ofoymungu is a journalist and presenter at Christ the King FM, dedicated to informing, inspiring, and serving the community through responsible journalism and meaningful storytelling.

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