By KT Reporter
Under the shade of a mango tree in Unyama Sub-county, Gulu District, 56-year-old Florence Ajok sits quietly on a papyrus mat, her three-year-old son nestled by her side. Both mother and son are visually impaired, and as the distant hum of a motorcycle grows louder, Ajok cautiously rises, her hands outstretched to greet her visitors.
From a nearby grass-thatched hut, her husband, 59-year-old Bosco Ocitti, steps out to join her. The couple has six children—three of whom, like their mother, live with visual impairments. Their lives have long been shaped by hardship, but a recent attack has plunged them into a crisis that has left them homeless and traumatized.
A Family Torn Apart
For the past two weeks, the family has sought refuge in a borrowed hut after their home was reduced to ashes in a violent arson attack. The incident occurred on June 20, 2024, when Ocitti’s stepbrother, Simon Obwoya, arrived at their compound armed with a spear and seething with rage. “He first smashed the solar panel we were using to charge in the compound,” Ajok recalls.
“Then he asked where my husband was. I told him he had gone to take one of our special-needs children to school.” Failing to find his brother, Obwoya turned his fury on Ajok. Accusing her of witchcraft due to her blindness and that of her children, he gathered the family’s belongings—12 goats, 40 chickens, 22 chicks, a sheep, and five mattresses—and locked them in the hut. Then, he set it ablaze.
Inside one of the burning huts, Ajok’s three-year-old son lay asleep. In a moment of terror and instinct, Ajok charged into the burning hut to save her child. “As I fled with my son, Obwoya threw his spear at me,” she recounts. “By God’s grace, I tripped and fell. The spear landed just ahead of me. The bushy compound made it hard for him to retrieve it, and that’s what saved us.”
Shaken and desperate, Ajok fled to a relative’s home where she was encouraged to report the attack. She later filed a case of arson at Unyama Police Station with the help of another brother-in-law. Although Obwoya was arrested, he was released on police bond after just three days.
Ocitti believes the root of the attack lies in a long-standing land dispute. He returned to his ancestral land in Coopil village after years of living with his maternal relatives. While his solo return raised no issues, bringing his family home triggered tensions. “My brother is just using witchcraft allegations as an excuse to chase us off our land,” Ocitti says.
“He’s threatened to kill me and my entire family if we return.” Currently, the family is living at the local councilor’s home, afraid to return. Beyond the trauma, the attack has severely disrupted the children’s education. Three of them, including two with special needs, had been attending Coopil Primary School. Their eldest daughter has refused to return to class, traumatized by the ordeal.
Local Leaders Call for Justice
Michael Ocara, the LCI Chairman of Coopil Village, acknowledges that family tensions have simmered for years. “We’ve held clan meetings to resolve the conflict, but nothing has worked,” he says. Ocara revealed that Obwoya’s anger escalated after he allegedly assaulted his pregnant wife, leading to a miscarriage. The family then blamed Ajok and Ocitti, a spark that may have fueled the attack.
“This man spent only three days in police custody before being released. That’s unacceptable,” Ocara said. “People take advantage of those with special needs, thinking they will get away with it.” Harriet Ayot, Woman Councilor 5 for Unyama Sub-county, has offered temporary shelter to Ajok and her children. “I’m angry,” Ayot said. “This is a capital offense. The suspect should be in court, not walking free on bond.”
She warned that the system’s failure to act only emboldens further abuse. “By allowing suspects like this to go free, we are encouraging others. People with special needs deserve protection, not persecution,” she added.
For now, Ajok and her family remain displaced and in fear. Their future is uncertain, and they are appealing for help from the government and well-wishers. “I need to be with my children and care for them,” Ocitti pleads. “But my home is no longer safe. I don’t even have a roof over my head. I humbly ask the government to intervene.”
NB: This story was made possible through the support of the Excellence in Journalism-Gender grant, awarded as part of the Advancing Gender Equality in Media and Communications project-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
