A man who killed his stepbrother after quarrelling over meat last week in Papa village, Teso South, Busia County, has been killed by a mob.
According to Kaujakito location chief George Okemer, the suspect; James Osaba, who had been in hiding since he killed his stepbrother Grashio Obula, 40, last Friday night, was attacked and killed by villagers.
“He had been hiding in the sugarcane fields and at times coming out armed with a panga and an arrow. People from Kosera teamed up with villagers to chase him and beat him to death,” said the chief.
After killing him, the mob also razed his two houses and destroyed other properties in his home, including plants.
Last Friday, Osaba and his brother attended a relative’s funeral in Papa village, where they were assigned roles. Osaba was selected as the funeral organizing secretary, while Obula was chosen to take care of the store where food was being kept.
Trouble started at midnight when Osaba demanded entry to the store after meat from a slaughtered cow was taken there, while Obula refused. “This prompted the suspect to take a knife and stab him in the stomach, injuring him severely,” Okemer explained.
Family members and villagers allege that this was not the first time Osaba had attacked someone. A few months ago, he had attacked another villager with a panga and injured him severely, although the victim survived.
Local administrators and family members had appealed to Osaba to turn himself in to any police station, but their appeals were in vain.
His body was removed from the scene and taken to Kocholya hospital mortuary, where his brother’s body was also taken.
