Police in Kibuku District, Eastern Uganda, are investigating a case of murder after a 25-year-old peasant was hacked to death by yet to be identified individuals who reportedly accused him of stealing a sack of groundnuts.

The body of Wakiri Yeko, a resident of Buyumbu Village, Nangaiza parish, Goli-Goli Sub-county in Kibuku District, was found lying at the scene next to the sack of groundnuts he was suspected of stealing on the night of March 8, 2026.

Preliminary police report indicates that Yeko and three other people were found on the fateful night in possession of groundnuts believed to have been stolen from one of the residents in Buyumbu village.

Yeko’s alleged accomplices reportedly managed to escape from their interceptors.
“Unidentified individuals found them in possession of groundnuts believed to have been stolen. They started chasing them, and three managed to escape. However, Yeko was cut severely on the neck and head. His body was abandoned at the scene together with the sack of groundnuts,” said North Bukedi Regional Police spokesperson, ASP Wilfred Kyempasa.

The incident was reported to police by Buyumbu LC1 chairperson, James Muzei, 54, and a case of murder was registered as investigations and efforts to apprehend the suspects continue.

Groundnuts, also known as peanuts or ebinyebwa, are Uganda's second most important legume after beans and a major source of protein and oil. They are widely grown across the country, particularly in the Eastern and Northern regions.