Written By | Jovita Hasto
SP Vincent Twesigye explained that a murder case was immediately registered, and a team of police officers led by the Officer-in-Charge of Kicheche Police Station visited the scene.
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KITAGWENDA
Police in Kitagwenda District are holding two suspects to assist with investigations into the murder of an 18-year-old Senior Four student whose body was discovered in a coffee plantation on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased has been identified as Arinda Onesmas, a Senior Four student at Kitagwenda High School.
According to the Rwenzori West Regional Police spokesperson, SP Vincent Twesige, police received information about the incident from Mr Sperio Taremwa, a resident of Kicheche Cell, Kagazi Ward, Kabujogera Town Council.
"It is alleged that on June 21, 2026, at around 1:00 p.m., the body of the deceased was found lying in a coffee plantation in Kicheche Cell, Kabujogera Town Council, with multiple cut wounds on the head, legs, and arms. The incident was reported to Kabujogera Police Station," Twesige said.
He explained that a murder case was immediately registered, and a team of police officers led by the Officer-in-Charge of Kicheche Police Station visited the scene.
"The body was conveyed to Ntara Health Centre IV pending a postmortem examination. Statements were recorded from witnesses, and two suspects, both residents of the area, were arrested to aid investigations," he added.
According to local residents, shortly after police officers left the scene, a group of people believed to be students from Kitagwenda High School attacked residents and destroyed property belonging to families associated with the suspects.
Ms Scovia Owamaziima, a resident of Nyalugogo Cell in Kabujogera Town Council whose house was destroyed during the unrest, said residents first learned of the incident when a neighbour discovered the body while harvesting vegetables.
"The neighbour informed us about the body, and we notified the police. Officers later came from Ntara Police Station at around 6:00 p.m. They asked whether we knew the deceased, but we did not. Later, people identified him as a student," she said.
Owamaziima said students who had reportedly learned that one of their colleagues was missing later gathered outside the school and began attacking residents.
"Students came throwing stones at us. Police intervened, and they returned to school. However, in the evening they came back, killed our chickens, goats, and rabbits, and burned our houses. We spent the night at a nearby church because everything we owned had been destroyed," she said.
Ms Jolly Kebirungi, the owner of the coffee plantation where the body was discovered, said she stumbled upon the deceased while picking vegetables.
"I saw someone lying under a coffee tree. At first, I thought it was my husband, but when I looked closely, I realised it was someone else. We alerted people nearby, and my husband reported the matter to the police," she said.
Kebirungi said police responded and removed the body from the scene, but tensions escalated after officers left.
"As soon as the police departed, students surrounded our home and started destroying property. They burned our house. I hid in a toilet before managing to escape to a church for safety," she said.
She added that her family lost most of its belongings in the fire.
"Our house was the first to be set ablaze. We tried to put out the fire, but there was no water or sand nearby. We had more than 50 chickens, but everything was lost. Even our dog was beaten and can barely walk," she said.
Kebirungi further revealed that her husband was taken in for questioning because some residents believed he owned a nearby sugarcane plantation where the deceased had allegedly been seen before his death.
"My husband was arrested because people suspected he owned the sugarcane plantation. However, we do not own any sugarcane plantation. The only connection we have to the case is that the body was found in our coffee garden," she said.
It is alleged that the deceased had left the school premises and gone to a nearby sugarcane plantation before he was killed, although police have not officially confirmed the circumstances surrounding his death.
Mr Simon Ahimbisibwe, the head teacher of Kitagwenda High School, confirmed that the deceased was a Senior Four candidate at the school.
"We have lost one of our students. The situation at the school remains calm, although some students were seen loitering around the compound, while others moved outside the school premises after learning of the incident," he said.
Ahimbisibwe declined to comment further, saying he first needed to record a formal statement with the police.
Police have urged the public to remain calm and allow investigators to establish the circumstances surrounding the student's death.
SP Twesige said investigations are ongoing, and the body remains at Ntara Health Centre IV pending a postmortem examination.
Torch Media Africa
