Summary:

• Lochoto Ambrose Machete, a mobilizer for Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform in Karamoja, was fatally shot by individuals reportedly from the security forces. The incident occurred during an operation to apprehend suspected cattle raiders.

Lochoto Ambrose Machete, a key organizer for Bobi Wine’s National Unity Platform in the Karamoja region, was fatally shot last night by individuals purportedly from the security forces. Machete served as the Chairperson of NUP’s mobilization team in Kaabong District within the broader Karamoja area.

According to initial information, security agencies acted on intelligence suggesting that unidentified armed individuals had stolen cattle from Kakamar Sub-county. Consequently, joint security forces set up ambushes at known crossing points to apprehend and disarm the suspects. Tragically, Machete unwittingly walked into one of these ambushes around midnight and was fatally shot under the belief that he was among the suspected armed raiders from Kakamar sub-county, as outlined in a concise police statement as investigations commence.

Law enforcement officers, including the DPC, D/CID officer, and a team of police and army personnel, visited the crime scene for documentation. Statements from relatives and witnesses were recorded, and Machete’s body was later transported to Kaabong General Hospital for a postmortem examination.

In a social media statement, Bobi Wine disclosed that Machete was shot at close range by his assailants who had apparently trailed him after he watched a football match.

Karamoja remains a volatile region where firearms persist in civilian hands despite government disarmament efforts. Cattle rustling among the Karamojong people and neighboring communities such as the Turkana and Pokot from Kenya pose ongoing security challenges despite the presence of a UPDF division.