By Weswa Ronnie
PALLISA
Apopong Parish NRM Registrar may be in serious trouble after the District Registrar whom he assaulted on 15th May, 2025 during the election of NRM Parish structures dies two months after the incident.
Okanya Max assaulted Jane Nangobi, a 38-year-old NRM district registrar in a confrontation over alteration of voters register.
According to Wilfred Kyempasa, the Bukedi North Police region spokesperson, the police report indicates that Nangobi was assaulted by Okanya after she requested to see the voters’ register.
The assault occurred on the 12/05/2025 at around 1100 hours at Angololo Village in Apopong Sub County in Pallisa District but the death of the victim occurred on 03/07/2025 at around 0200 hourS at Pallisa Hospital.
He says the assault resulted in bodily injuries, and she was later admitted to Pallisa Hospital on June 21, 2025, where she received treatment until her death on July 3, 2025.
Kyempasa adds that police investigation established that Nangobi had sustained injuries classified as “harm” on the medical examination form (PF 3). However, the postmortem report revealed that her death was caused by Coronary Heart Disease, rather than the assault.
He says that on the fateful day of the assault, there was election of NRM Parish structures at Angololo polling station in Apopong Sub County. The deceased now, received information that the parish registrar was removing some names of his interest from the register.
This prompted Nangobi to respond to the information. At the polling station she found Okanya causing confusion and when she requested to have a look at the voters register, the said Okanya refused and in the process he exchanged with his boss and a scuffle ensued that resulted into the assault of the victim causing her bodily injury. She reported the matter to police vide PAL SD 33/12/5/2025.
As investigations were ongoing pending arrest of the suspect who went into hiding, the victim got seriously ill and was admitted to Pallisa Hospital on the 21/6/2025, where she has been undergoing treatment until the 03/07/2025 at 0200 hrs when she was pronounced dead.
Okanya, may however, escape the case of murder because a postmortem carried out at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital indicates that the deceased had a history of multiple diseases, including hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, and HIV.
He says that police upon receiving information of the death of the victim of assault on suspicion that it could be the cause of death, transferred the body to Mbale city mortuary for postmortem on PF 48A and PF 48B.
The postmortem established that the deceased’s death was not as the result of assault rather Coronary Heart Disease.
He says police have gathered evidence and will present it to the Resident State Attorney (RCSA) in Pallisa for further guidance.
