Buyende parish priest arrested over teen’s torture and death

The parish priest of Wesunile Catholic Parish in Buyende district, eastern Uganda, has been arrested for his alleged role in the torture and death of a 14-year-old boy, Joseph Kiirya.

The suspect, Rev. Fr. Silver Osuna Owori, 33, was apprehended alongside his driver, Robert Gabula, and both are now detained at Buyende central police station. Police say they will face court once investigations are concluded.

Preliminary police investigations indicate that on Friday, August 1, 2025, Fr. Owori discovered that Shs 5 million was missing from his residence. Believing that Kiirya, who had previously been accused of stealing from the priest, was responsible, he reportedly instructed Gabula and another accomplice, only identified as Waiswa, to track down the boy, who had gone into hiding.

The two men reportedly apprehended Kiirya and delivered him to the parish premises. According to investigators, Owori allegedly ordered the boy to be beaten in a bid to force a confession. Despite the assault, Kiirya insisted he knew nothing about the missing money.

The teenager was later locked inside the parish store, where his condition deteriorated. When he became unresponsive, Fr Owori called the police, claiming that his team had apprehended a suspected juvenile thief.

Responding officers, however, found the boy dead, with evidence of severe physical abuse. By the time they arrived, the priest had fled the scene. Local residents said they last saw Kiirya alive while being escorted to the parish by the priest’s aides.

“Access to the parish during weekdays is limited, so no one knew what was happening inside,” one villager said. “It was only after the police briefed us that we learned the boy had been tortured there.”

A postmortem report confirmed that Kiirya sustained deep wounds and multiple injuries across his body. Busoga North Police spokesperson Michael Kasadha said the boy bled to death due to a lack of timely medical care.

Gabula voluntarily surrendered to police officers who went to Wesunile Parish, while Owori was later arrested from a location in the Busoga sub-region. Kasadha stated that police are still compiling evidence and will submit their findings to the resident state attorney for guidance on the charges, which could include murder or aggravated torture of a minor.