Govt should probe Lokech's death -Acholi leaders

DIGP-LOKECH

  By:Admin

  ACHOLI

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.

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.

But Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, the Internal Affairs minister, who represented President Museveni at the funeral, said it was disastrous to make the matter political as Acholi leaders portrayed it.

“Countrymen, much as we are entitled to be inquisitive about unknown phenomenon, let’s be philosophical about our approach to life. Uganda was here without us, Uganda was here with us and Uganda will be here long after we are gone,” Gen Otaffire said.

Despite the demands of the Acholi leaders, in his speech, Gen Otafiire said government would not wish to delve much into the circumstances surrounding the death of Gen Lokech since it is a private matter.

“I want to put to you that a postmortem was done and a postmortem report was handed over to the family, and I am not at liberty to disclose that report unless I have the permission of his family and the police,” he said.

Gen Otafiire asked the police to consult with the family and make public the report of the fallen general’s postmortem.

“I would like the police together with the family to put this report at the disposal of the public because people want to know what the legitimate cause of Gen Lokech’s death is and the case is put to rest,” he added.

Gen Otafiire expressed disappointment in the utterances of Acholi leaders, saying their demands were political and meant to cause panic in the public.

“Why did we invest in them, why did we invest in getting many Acholi sons and daughters into powerful positions in government and at the end kill them? Who do you think will protect me when tomorrow, I am no longer the minister of Internal Affairs? The people I don’t know or the people I have raised?”

“I can’t say there might not be people or a group of people who want to replace them and, therefore, would be interested in destroying them, but I’m saying those of us who raised them would not be the same people to destroy them,” he said.

President Museveni, in his speech, said: “Given Lt Gen Lokech’s exemplary contribution for the last 30 years in the armed forces, I hereby...promote Major General Paul Lokech, posthumously, to the rank of Lieutenant General.”

Postmortem

Police statement on postmortem

“…..We want to further inform the public that a postmortem examination was carried out on the body of the deceased, by a team of four pathologists.

Also present were Brig Gen Dr Stephen Kusasira, the Director of Medical Services in the UPDF, the personal doctor of the late, Dr Ben Khiingi, and two family representatives.

The team of pathologists established that the victim got a fracture of the right ankle joint, around the end of July.

It was a simple fracture which was being managed at Ruby Medical Centre, by an orthopedic surgeon. They put a POP cast at the victim’s leg and managed him as an outpatient, with regular reviews. They further encouraged him to do mild exercises while at home.

During the autopsy, the pathologists opened the right lower leg, which got injured, and found a very big blood clot that had formed in one of the big blood vessels. They further opened his chest and found part of the blood clot had been carried into the lungs.

As a result, both vessels in the lungs were blocked, thus leading to the shortage in breath and subsequent death. It was thus concluded as death due to natural causes.”