David Owori, captain of Sports Club Villa and a Uganda national team player, died on Wednesday after being attacked by robbers near his home in Makindye division, Kampala, on Tuesday night. According to Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Racheal Kawala, passersby found him unconscious and took him to a nearby hospital; he was subsequently transferred to a second facility, where he was pronounced dead.
Ugandan football captain dies after robbery attack near Kampala home
David Owori, captain of Sports Club Villa and a Uganda national team player, died on Wednesday after being attacked by robbers near his home in Makindye division, Kampala, on Tuesday night. According to Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson Racheal Kawala, passersby found him unconscious and took him to a nearby hospital; he was subsequently transferred to a second facility, where he was pronounced dead.
Witnesses reported that the attackers struck Owori with paving stones after he resisted an attempt to steal his mobile phone and other belongings, according to the BBC. The assailants fled the scene, leaving him unconscious.
Owori, 27, played as a right-back and midfielder for SC Villa. He began his senior career in 2016 at Vipers Sports Club in the Uganda Premier League and later had stints in Europe with Vélez CF in Spain and Utsiktens BK in Sweden. He represented the national team in qualifiers for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations and helped SC Villa secure a record 17th Uganda Premier League title in 2024.
SC Villa confirmed his death in a statement, expressing condolences to his family and describing his passing as untimely. The Federation of Uganda Football Associations said Owori 'was not just a footballer' but 'a leader and an inspiration to a generation,' adding that he had 'carried the hopes of a nation' in the Uganda Cranes jersey.
The Ugandan parliament observed a minute of silence in Owori's honour on Wednesday. Uganda's National Council of Sports noted that 'Ugandan sport has been hit with many such tragedies lately' and called for justice and a lasting solution.
The death follows that of Sydney Gongodyo, a Ugandan rugby international who died in June after a mob attacked him in Kampala, reportedly mistaking him for a thief, according to police.
- The identities or number of the alleged attackers are not established
- Whether any suspects have been arrested or charged is not stated
- The names of the two hospitals where Owori received treatment are not confirmed beyond Case Clinic, mentioned only in the SC Villa statement
- The precise circumstances of how Owori encountered the attackers are not independently verified
- Whether a formal police investigation has been opened is not stated
- The cause of death as determined by medical personnel is not specified
Read the original at The Guardian