Overview:
Police have since launched a murder investigation and are recording statements from family members, neighbors, and other potential witnesses as efforts to apprehend the suspect continue.
Soroti City Police are hunting for Simon Okwi, a resident of Opiyai B, Oderai Cell, who is accused of killing his 13-year-old daughter. The deceased, Clare Aketo, a Primary Six pupil, was discovered dead in a locked house in Nakatunya Ward on Wednesday. According to neighbors who spoke on condition of anonymity, the incident followed a disagreement after Aketo attended a back-to-school party in the area last Saturday.
Okwi reportedly confronted her over the matter when she returned home the following morning at around 6 a.m. Fearing further confrontation, Aketo is said to have stayed away from home until Tuesday night, when she returned. Upon her arrival, her father allegedly locked her inside the house and assaulted her. Neighbors said they heard commotion between 9 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday.
“We even tried knocking on the door to intervene, but he insisted that we should leave him to handle his family’s affairs,” one neighbor recounted. At around 1 a.m., neighbors reported hearing the girl crying and pleading to be taken to the hospital. Okwi later sought help from a neighbor to take his injured daughter to Joint Clinic, where she was pronounced dead.
Medical personnel reportedly advised him to transfer the body to Soroti Regional Referral Hospital mortuary. However, he allegedly returned with the body to Nakatunya Ward, where it was later recovered. Residents expressed shock, describing Aketo as a responsible child who often cared for her two younger siblings due to her parents’ frequent absences.
“Their parents often stay away for weeks, and even when they return, they rarely stay for more than two days before disappearing again. This girl was the backbone of the family,” one neighbor said. Another resident alleged that Okwi had previously disciplined his children harshly and often isolated them inside the house. The East Kyoga Regional Police Commander, Saji Ibrahim Saiga, said that after the incident, Okwi allegedly attempted to mislead relatives about the cause of death and failed to immediately report the matter to police.
“He later filed a report on February 11, 2026, claiming that his daughter had been waylaid while going to buy food and had disappeared,” Saiga said. Police have since launched a murder investigation and are recording statements from family members, neighbors, and other potential witnesses as efforts to apprehend the suspect continue. Aketo’s body remains at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital mortuary pending a postmortem examination.
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