13th suspect arrested in Soroti mobile money agent murder

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Grief still hangs heavy over Soroti city following the brutal Good Friday murder of mobile money agent Patricia Kokunda. In a development that deepens both the mystery and the pain, police have arrested a 13th suspect, this time in Kibuli, Kampala.

The suspect, identified as Emmanuel Amanu, a native of Gweri in Soroti district, is accused of playing a central role in the events that led to Kokunda’s death on April 3, 2026. Investigators say Amanu was not just a bystander but a link in a deadly chain.

According to the Kyoga East Regional Police commander, Ibrahim Saiga, Amanu confessed during interrogation that he recruited the prime suspect, David Emenyu, the man believed to have pulled the trigger that morning.

In a revelation that adds a human face to the crime, Amanu reportedly admitted that he was the one riding the motorcycle with Emenyu on the day of the attack, unknowingly or knowingly escorting death to its victim.

Police say Amanu told them he had been approached by another individual, whose identity remains undisclosed, with a plan to rob Kokunda. Overwhelmed by the scale of the task, he allegedly turned to Emenyu, a man he described as experienced in robbery.

“He stated that he could not carry out the plan alone and instead decided to reach out to Emenyu for assistance, relying on his experience in a series of robberies,” Saiga said in a statement on Monday, April 20, 2026.

Investigations have further revealed that Amanu was present at a planning meeting held at Moruapesur Primary School in Soroti City East Division days before the killing, suggesting the attack was not random but carefully orchestrated.

His arrest comes on the heels of another breakthrough, the detention of Emenyu’s second wife, who was found with 12 bullets at her home in Soroti district, an unsettling detail that hints at a wider and more coordinated network.

The list of suspects now paints a troubling picture. Among those in custody are Salume Akello, also identified as Emenyu’s wife; Simon Epeu alias Iboda; Emmanuel Okello alias Imoning; Rashid Eyamu alias Odekuro; and Alfred Elacu, believed to have supplied the ammunition. Elacu’s wife, Hellen Akello, is also detained.

Others include Julius Elwanu, Felix Onebo, Alex Okello and Jorem Ojele alias Jogo. All suspects were last week transferred to the Criminal Investigations Directorate headquarters in Kampala, where interrogations continue.

For Kokunda’s family, each arrest is a painful reminder of the life violently taken, a mother, a daughter, a woman who left home to earn a living and never returned.

Authorities say the suspects will face charges of aggravated robbery and murder. 

As the investigation unfolds, one question lingers in Soroti’s grieving community: how many more hands were involved in a crime that has left a permanent scar on the city?