Uganda footballer David Owor dies aged 27 after alleged robbery attack

Ugandan football is mourning the death of David Owor, one of the country’s best-known players, who died aged 27 after allegedly being beaten by suspected thieves near his home in Kampala.

Police said Owor was fatally attacked after resisting an attempt to steal his mobile phone and other belongings. His death has prompted widespread grief and renewed public anger over violent crime in Uganda.

Owor played for Sports Club Villa, the record holders for Uganda Premier League titles, and represented the national team. He was able to operate both as a right-back and in midfield, and was widely known by the nickname Colgate.

Sports Club Villa issued a statement expressing its sorrow, saying: “We have lost more than just a player… we have lost a leader, a brother and a friend.”

Witnesses said a group of attackers struck Owor with paving stones on Tuesday night before taking his possessions and fleeing. He was reportedly left unconscious at the scene.

Asan Kasingye, a spokesperson for Sports Club Villa, told reporters that Owor had been targeted immediately outside his home in Makindye, a suburb of Kampala.

“The player was ambushed by thugs as he approached his home, leaving him with life-threatening injuries before he was rushed to a medical facility,” Kasingye said.

Owor was initially taken to a nearby medical clinic before being transferred to a private facility in the city. He died from his injuries on Wednesday.

Local police spokesperson Rachel Kawala said investigators were following leads to identify those responsible for the attack.

“The scene of the incident was documented and processed to ensure that all relevant evidence was collected and preserved,” Kawala said.

The killing has shocked people across Uganda, with supporters, team-mates and members of the country’s football community joining politicians in demanding justice.

Tributes have continued to be paid to the defender, whose death has also drawn a response from the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (Fufa).

Fufa described Owor as “a true leader on and off the pitch”.

Its statement added: “David was not just a footballer. He was a leader and an inspiration to an entire generation.”

Uganda’s national team, known as the Cranes, said it had lost a football star who carried the hopes of the country.

Owor’s death was also acknowledged in Uganda’s parliament, which observed a minute’s silence in his memory on Wednesday and called for a swift investigation into the circumstances surrounding the attack.

The police investigation remains under way as officers work to establish the identities of the alleged attackers and determine exactly what happened outside Owor’s home.