The Itekok-Etongu clan in Orungo sub-county of Amuria district is holding a 28-year-old man for allegedly faking his death.
In the quiet village of Alilioi, Moruinera Parish, a bizarre incident has left the Itekok-Etongu clan in Orungo sub-county, Amuria district in disbelief. The community is currently holding a 28-year-old man, Michael Elunyu, for what they claim to be an elaborate hoax of his own demise.
It is alleged that Elunyu departed his home a month and a half ago in pursuit of job opportunities in Mbale, leaving behind his wife and two children.
The shocking twist in this tale emerged when Elunyu’s village LC1 Chairperson, who also happens to be his uncle, Stephen Okiria Elunyu, received an unexpected call on Thursday evening, bearing news of Elunyu’s supposed death.
The startling call, made from Elunyu’s own phone, conveyed the message that the phone’s owner had passed away at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital following a brief illness. As a result, the clan swiftly sprang into action, gathering funds amounting to shs300,000 to secure an ambulance and retrieve Elunyu’s purported remains.
Setting out from Amuria, they embarked on their journey to Mbale, with many relatives traveling home to mourn their dearly departed family member. However, as they reached the hospital and attempted to contact Elunyu using the very phone that had notified them of his demise, they were astonished to have him answer the call himself.
Relatives proceeded to search for Elunyu, eventually discovering him seated in one of the doctors’ rooms. According to Okiria, the medics were equally dumbfounded by the news of Elunyu’s death, as they had no knowledge of his presence or his intentions.
The journey back to Amuria took an unexpected turn, as the group made a stopover at Etop Radio offices in Soroti to share this bewildering story.
As they arrived and people gathered to hear the details, Elunyu made a sudden escape attempt, but alert bystanders, including boda-boda riders, managed to detain him.
Elunyu, when questioned by the New Vision, professed his ignorance about who had used his phone to inform relatives of his passing. He claimed to have no recollection of how he wound up in the hospital.
Okiria stated that their next course of action was to return to Amuria and hand Elunyu over to the clan for disciplinary measures, expressing reluctance to involve the police in the matter.
Speculations have arisen among some relatives, suggesting that Elunyu was not actually ill but had resorted to this peculiar ruse for personal gain, thereby causing considerable embarrassment to the clan.
The unfolding saga found Elunyu on his way back to his village, where he was set to face his clanmates, relatives, and those who had gathered to mourn his alleged demise.
