Acholi leaders are not convinced Lt. Gen. Lokech died of blood clot they insist government should probe
By Correspondent
Chief Justice Alfonse Owiny-Dollo yesterday joined the chorus of voices to task government to undertake a wider and deeper inquiry into the sudden death of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Lt Gen Paul Lokech.
The calls come a week after pathologists concluded that Lt Gen Lokech had succumbed to blood clots in his lungs.
Justice Owiny-Dollo said the government owed it to the people to exhaustively answer their doubts about what had led to the sudden death of the general.
Justice Owiny-Dollo said the government owed it to the people to exhaustively answer their doubts about what had led to the sudden death of the general.
The Chief Justice said the inquiry should look into all possible causes of death, including at his place of work, where he could have had some conflict with interested parties in the line of his duty.
But Justice Owiny-Dollo also quickly counselled that the community should respect the privacy and wishes of the family and leave it to them to decide the best course of action in the matter.
Several local leaders, one after another, have raised questions as to what could have caused the death of the fearless and ever combat-ready general, who had fought fierce battles in and outside Uganda, including in South Sudan, DR Congo, and the restive Somalia, where he battled militant Islamists, the al-Shabaab.
The funeral service for Lt Gen Lokech, led by former Archbishop Henry Luke Luke Orombi of the Church of Uganda, had started calmly at Paipir Primary School playground, Pader District, at exactly 10am.
But speeches turned fiery when Mr Ricky Anywar, the Agago West County MP, rose to speak and challenged government to explain clearly what caused the death of Lt Gen Lokech.
Anywar, who represented the Acholi Parliamentary Group (APG) chairperson Anthony Akol, said explanations by government, police and the army were creating more suspicion among the Acholi people, who think the army general may have been ‘killed’.
“Come out clearly and tell us what killed him. His death may unite us now, but how he died has raised more questions among us and our people than the answers available,” Anywar said.