From Missing To Misleading: Police Arrest Katakwi Town Clerk Over Fake Kidnap

 January 21, 2026   |    50 views

By Our Reporter I Ngariam Focus 

KATAKWI TOWN COUNCIL-For one uneasy week, Katakwi town held its breath. Whispers grew into protests, suspicion hardened into political blame, and a disappearance threatened to ignite a wider storm. 

But on a quiet trail in Toroma County, the mystery cracked—not with the drama of a rescue, but with the thud of handcuffs. The man everyone was searching for, police say, had never been taken at all.

Fidel Oluka, the Katakwi Town Council Clerk, is now in police custody, his alleged abduction recast as a calculated vanishing act that dragged security agencies, politicians, and an anxious public into its wake.

Tracked by Silence: How Police Found Oluka

Police say Oluka was arrested from a friend’s home in Toroma County after detectives traced his communications, ending a week-long manhunt that had gripped Katakwi District. His disappearance had earlier prompted police to register a case of kidnap and launch searches for alleged abductors—an operation that stretched resources and heightened public anxiety.

The Katakwi District Police Commander, Mr Nasucha Jude confirmed the arrest, saying investigators now want Oluka to account for who abducted him, if anyone did at all. From the outset, police had quietly floated the possibility of self-abduction—a theory that now appears central to the case.

Politics in the Shadows: Campaigns, Civil Servants and Suspicion

Oluka’s disappearance quickly took on political colour. His association with Daniel Mulalu, an independent parliamentary aspirant for Ngariam County, fueled claims that the incident was politically motivated. As protests flared, fingers pointed at unnamed “powerful people,” deepening divisions on the ground.

Sources now say Oluka may not have acted alone. Police are reportedly seeking Katakwi District Communication Officer John Baptist Emukoki to explain events of the night before the alleged abduction, when the two were last seen together. The unfolding investigation has revived an uncomfortable debate: should civil servants be anywhere near partisan campaigns?

Political analysts warn that the line between public service and political activism in Katakwi is becoming dangerously blurred, urging the Chief Administrative Officer to assert discipline before institutions are dragged further into controversy.

A Costly Lie: Legal Peril and Career Fallout

Beyond the political noise lies a grim legal reality. A retired senior Criminal Investigations Officer, speaking anonymously, described faking an abduction as a grave offence with potentially devastating consequences.

He warned that Oluka could face severe penalties, including lengthy imprisonment, not only for fabricating a kidnap but also for giving false information to police and allegedly conspiring to defame prominent leaders. 

More consequences may follow, he added—corruption probes, interdiction, and a career unraveling in full public view.

As Katakwi absorbs the shock, one lesson rings clear: in a charged political season, manufactured drama can quickly spiral into personal ruin—and leave institutions scrambling to repair the damage.