By Frank Kamuntu
Mbale: The police in Mbale district are investigating circumstances under which a 19-year-old man was on Sunday evening allegedly clobbered to death by his colleagues over failure to clear a debt of Shs1,000.
It is said that a gang of four men clobbered Charles Wamuna, a resident of Buteza Sub-county, in Sironko district, with whom they were playing cards for money.
The beating is said to have occurred along Market Street in Mbale Town, after which they left Wamuna lying for dead, before fleeing.
He was later rushed to Mbale Referral hospital by Good Samaritans only to be announced dead on arrival by medics.
According to the eyewitnesses, trouble started when the deceased failed to pay the money after losing a game to one of his colleagues.
“They have been friends and gambling together but today, things turned ugly after the deceased failed to pay after losing. They beat him to the point of death before fleeing,” Julius Nadenge, one of the eyewitnesses and a hawker in Mbale town, said. Nadenge explained that deceased pleaded with his colleagues to give him time to look for the money but they paid a deaf ear.
“They were demanding Shs1500 from him but he managed to get Shs500 and requested to pay the balance of Shs1,000 the following day. But they refused and instead beat him.” Nadenge added.
John Magomu, another eyewitness, revealed that when the accused realised that they had beaten their colleague severely, they abandoned him.
Robert Tukei, the Elgon region Police Spokesperson, confirmed the incident and said that one suspect had already been arrested to help police investigations, although the police are hunting for three others still at large.
