Agago woman killed following alleged chicken theft dispute

27 June 2026, 5:57 pm

By Geoffrey Okwong

A 45-year-old woman has died following an incident that reportedly stemmed from allegations that she had stolen a chicken belonging to a Local Council I chairperson in Agago District.

The deceased, identified as Grace Lakot, a resident of Burubiya Village, Pacee Parish, Parabongo Sub-county, was reportedly taken before Francis Onek, the LC I Chairperson of Ngom Pe Wang Village, Ademi Parish, Agengo Sub-county, after being accused of stealing a chicken.

Speaking to our reporter on Saturday morning, Grace’s husband, Richard Tolit, 50, said he received a phone call at around 11:00 a.m. on Friday informing him that his wife had been accused of stealing the chicken. He immediately rushed to the LC I chairperson’s home, where the matter was being handled.

According to Tolit, the LC I chairperson demanded UGX 400,000 as compensation for the alleged theft. He said he only had UGX 30,000 and pleaded for leniency, but the demand for the full amount remained. He later offered to increase the payment to UGX 80,000 by adding another UGX 50,000, but the proposal was reportedly rejected.

Tolit said that when he left the chairperson’s home, his wife was with five elderly men and three elderly women and appeared to be in good condition. He added that he informed the chairperson that if the matter could not be resolved, his wife should instead be handed over to the police for further management.

He returned home to care for their young children, including a breastfeeding infant left in the care of the family. While preparing a meal, one of his sons reportedly ran to inform him that his wife had died.

The circumstances surrounding Grace Lakot’s death remain under police investigation.

Smith Opon, the LC III Councillor representing Ademi Parish, said this is the third such killing reported in the area within the last two years.

He attributed the repeated incidents to inadequate security, noting that cases of theft and other crimes have become increasingly common as the area’s population continues to grow.

Opon said the information available to him indicates that the deceased was allegedly beaten in Ngom Pe Wang Village before being taken to the trading centre, reportedly for referral to the LC II Chairperson of Ademi Parish. However, he alleged that the LC II chairperson declined to handle the matter after finding that the woman was already in a critical condition following the alleged assault.

He said he spent Friday evening with members of the deceased’s clan at the trading centre, where tensions were high as relatives of the suspected perpetrators had reportedly fled their homes fearing possible retaliation.

According to Opon, police officers later arrived at the scene and managed to keep the situation calm. 

By Saturday morning, the body was still at the trading centre as police continued engaging with the deceased’s family and clan members.

He added that cultural leaders from Lira Palwo were travelling to the area to support customary funeral preparations.

Opon appealed to the bereaved family and the community to remain calm and allow the law to take its course, saying those responsible should be held individually accountable for their actions.

By the time of filing this report, police had not yet issued an official statement on the incident. However, one suspect, Francis Onek,  the chairperson LC I was reported to be in police custody as investigations into the circumstances surrounding Grace Lakot’s death continue.