KITGUM .
Police in the northern district of Kitgum are investigating circumstances under which a 36-year-old school cook was allegedly raped and fatally assaulted in a forest in Latiti Cell, Pager Division, Kitgum Municipality.
The victim, Agness Aneno, who worked at Kitgum Boys Primary School, was discovered unconscious and severely injured after a brutal early-morning attack on Wednesday. She was rushed to St Joseph Hospital in Kitgum ,but was pronounced dead on arrival.
According to preliminary police reports, Aneno was heard crying for help around 5:00am, prompting nearby residents to respond.
“It was reported that at around 5:00am, a lady was heard crying in a forest belonging to the late Opia.
Locals responded only to find a woman tied to a tree and badly injured,” said Mr Joe Oloya, spokesperson for the Aswa East Region Police.
He added: “A piece of stick was pushed into her private parts.”
The crime scene was documented by the District Criminal Investigations Department and a team of detectives. Her body was later transferred to Kitgum General Hospital for a postmortem examination.
A case of murder has been registered, although by press time no suspects had been arrested. Police say investigations are ongoing, and there are unconfirmed reports that the victim may have been pregnant at the time of the attack.
This incident adds to the growing concerns about violent crime in the region. Since the start of the year, at least nine people have been murdered in the Aswa East Region alone.
According to the Uganda Police Annual Crime Report (2023), Kitgum District recorded the highest number of homicides in the Acholi sub-region, with 34 murder cases. These included incidents of domestic violence, shootings, stabbings, and assaults.