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Police, Residents Clash in Bududa Over 23-Year-Old's Autopsy

22 October, 2024
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There were serious confrontations between police and locals in Bududa District on Monday regarding the retrieval of the body of a 23-year-old man for a postmortem examination.


George Namatati, a resident of Bukalasi Sub County, reportedly took his own life by suicide in his father's house, allegedly due to his refusal to allocate him a piece of land.

Namatati intended to sell the land to purchase a Bajaji motorcycle for Boda boda operations. Police sought to take the body to the Mbale City mortuary for a postmortem. However, locals and relatives of the deceased resisted, claiming that police often demanded a significant amount of money before returning the body for burial.

Sarah Khaiza and Stephen Kuremu, both locals said there was no reason for police to take the body when everyone knew he hanged himself. They added that police were demanding between 200,000 and 500,000 Shillings to release the body after the postmortem, which the family could not afford. Tensions escalated as locals, armed with machetes, sticks, and bricks, threatened to lynch police officers if they attempted to take the body away. 

Rogers Taitika, the Elgon region police spokesperson, condemned the behavior of the family members and locals. He clarified that it is not true that police charge for postmortems, stating that any such charges are illegal. He explained that police may request fuel money based on the distance to the Mbale City mortuary, but this is not a fee for the postmortem itself. 

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