BUYENDE. P
olice in Buyende District are searching for a Catholic priest, a driver, and others over alleged assault of a 14-year-old boy who eventually died .
The suspects, identified by residents and police,
include Fr Silver Owori Osuna, 33, a Catholic priest at Wesunire Parish in Buyende District, Mr Robert Gabula, a driver, and other yet-to-be-identified individuals.
Mr Michael Kasadha, the Busoga North Police Spokesperson, confirmed the development on August 3 and said the group is wanted in connection with the murder of Joseph Kirya, a juvenile resident of Wesunire, Makanga Ward in Buyende Town Council.
According to preliminary investigations, Kirya was accused of stealing Shs5 million from Fr Owori’s room during the priest’s absence. Upon returning and failing to find the money, the priest allegedly detained the boy.
“On Friday, August 1, 2025, around 5:00pm, the suspect [Kirya] was brought to the parish—not by police. Unfortunately, he was allegedly assaulted and locked in the parish store for the whole night,” Mr Kasadha explained.
He further revealed that on Saturday, August 2, when Fr Owori discovered the boy had died overnight, he filed a report with police—not about the death, but claiming his money had been stolen and requesting officers to pick up the ‘suspect.’
“When the police team arrived at the parish, one of the staff directed officers to the store where the suspect was said to be, only for them to find the lifeless body of Kirya,” Mr Kasadha said.
By the time police reached the scene, Fr Owori had reportedly fled. Authorities are now actively searching for him, Mr Gabula, and the others still at large.
The body was examined, a postmortem conducted, and later handed over to the family for burial.
“We condemn acts of illegal detention and mob justice perpetrated on the juvenile. While any individual may effect an arrest, the legal authority to detain suspects lies solely with law enforcement, specifically the police,” Mr Kasadha said.