POLICE | DEATH | WALUSIMBI 

MITYANA - The increasing number of boys dropping out of schools in Mityana and neighbouring districts has been blamed for the increasing criminal cases in the area.

According to the police, more young boys are being arrested for criminal offences including robberies and housebreaking.

“Parents are not taking care of their children. We are arresting more and young boys every day who are involved in crime,” Martin Okoyo, the Mityana District Police Commander said.

He was speaking at the funeral service of the prominent Mityana trader Deo Kaggwa Walusimbi at Nambute village in Bulera Sub County in Mityana district on Monday.

Okoyo, however, did not reveal the exact number of young boys suspects they are holding or they had arrested in the past few weeks.

The deceased aged 40 was murdered by thugs who pounced on him on Friday night near Nakatongoli swamp which borders Mityana Municipally and Bulera Sub County.

Okoyo said that police has earlier arrested a number of youth and other young boys involved in crime and most of them are either students or school drops outs.

“A 20-year-old student is one of those we have in custody and another 16-year boy is one of the commandants of a particular group. When we arrested the first group earlier, some people came out and said they knew them but had never revealed them to us,” Okoyo said as he asked the public to cooperate with police and report all wrongdoers.

Okoyo noted that such criminal acts like the murder of Kaggwa happen in communities being committed by people within but can be prevented or stopped if people cooperate well with police or local leaders by reporting all suspected acts and individuals.

Attending the burial was the State minister for local government in Mengo Joseph Kawuki who also noted that the number of boys dropping out of school is rising daily.

“When schools were reopened, many people thought that there would be very few girls who were to return to school. However, it's the boys who are not returning,” Kawuki who is also the headmaster of Mumsa High School in Mityana municipality said.

Kawuki asked the government to always put up measures and programs aimed at ensuring that all people live better lives in their communities.

The deceased was a prominent trader in Mityana operating a cosmetic shop on Station Road and running a coffee factory at Kigalama in Myanzi Sub County in Kassanda district.

Several traders who have been close to the deceased in Mityana and Kassanda district commended him for supporting communities economically.

The deceased was also a strong supporter of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and party officials attended the burial and laid a wreath on the body of the deceased.

Security blamed 

During the lockdown period, a number of people in Mityana were complaining of the strict and tough measures that were used by the security operatives enforcing COVI-19 directives.

Fred Wotonava, the Mityana Central Division mayor, blamed the security for abandoning their duties of fighting crime as the lockdown was being lifted.

“During the lockdown, we were getting phone calls and complaints of people being arrested and vehicles impounded but now, criminals are operating freely as the security operatives are also undercover in their own curfew,” Wotonava said.