The National Resistance Movement (NRM) has tossed a Shs 15 million bounty into the ring for anyone who can track down the elusive hit-and-run driver responsible for the tragic demise of former Moroto Municipality MP, Simon Peter Aleper. This generous offer was made following Aleper’s fatal car crash on the Mbale-Iganga Highway, a scene that’s now buzzing like a Kampala traffic jam.
The accident, which occurred last Tuesday, July 23, 2024, unfolded on the Mbale-Iganga Highway near Bukoona village, just a stone’s throw from the Bugiri-Iganga junction. Aleper was making his way to Kampala in the dead of night when he met his untimely end. The crash has sparked a frantic search for the elusive driver responsible.
Speaking to a crowd that could rival Gen. Muhoozi’s birthday bash, Capt. Mike Mukula announced the bounty on July 30, 2024, at the Kangole Boys’ playground, which was teeming with mourners. Mukula’s offer comes with a side of urgency. “We need to ramp up efforts to uncover the circumstances of our brother’s demise,” he declared. If CCTV cameras failed to capture the phantom vehicle, Mukula’s wallet is ready to do the talking.
Mukula described the late Aleper as a true son of Karamoja, a region known for its resilient and spirited people. “We’ll remember him always,” he promised, no doubt hoping the bounty would spark a frenzy comparable to the hunt for the elusive Nile Perch in Lake Victoria.
The NRM’s Secretary General, Richard Todwong, expressed shock at Aleper’s untimely death, likening the situation to finding a needle in a haystack. He urged the government to leave no stone unturned in the quest to find the runaway vehicle.
MP Peterken Lochap from Bokora East added his voice to the chorus, suggesting that tracing the vehicle should be as easy as finding misplaced jerry cans in a village. “If the government can uncover hidden guns stashed by cattle rustlers, surely locating a vehicle should be a walk in the park,” he said.
The widow, Scolastika Nadiye, expressed her gratitude for the government’s efforts to give her husband a proper send-off.
Vice-President Jessica Alupo weighed in, promising that the government will do its utmost to identify the rogue vehicle. Meanwhile, President Museveni generously contributed Shs 50 million as condolence to the bereaved family.
Simon Peter Aleper, affectionately known as Aspro, was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Loputuk village, Kangole town council, Napak district.
