Soccer Star David Owori, 27, Beaten to Death Near His Home: ‘Must Not Go Unanswered’

Ugandan soccer star David Owori has died after being severely beaten by robbers attempting to steal his phone and other belongings in the country’s capital city of Kampala. He was 27.

Owori, who captained Uganda’s SC Villa, was approached by “a group of attackers” on Tuesday, August 4 near his home, according to the BBC. They allegedly beat him with paving stones before fleeing the scene, leaving him unconscious. Owori died from his injuries the next day at a local hospital

“The player was ambushed by thugs as he approached his home, leaving him with life-threatening injuries before he was rushed to the medical facility,” SC Villa spokesperson Asan Kasingye told reporters. “The scene of the incident has been documented and processed to ensure that all relevant evidence is collected and preserved.”

Owori played right back and midfielder for SC Villa from 2018 to 2021, and again from 2023 until his death. He helped the club to its first league championship in 17 years in 2024, earning him a contract extension that would have run until 2027.

“We call upon the relevant security and law enforcement agencies to urgently pursue, apprehend, and bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” his club said in a statement. “This senseless act has robbed the Club and the country of a committed captain and a promising sportsman, and it must not go unanswered.”

The statement continued, “David was a valuable player, leader, and servant of the game whose loss is deeply felt by both the Club and the nation. The Club undertakes to stand with the family and to ensure that David is accorded a decent and dignified send-off.”

The Ugandan national team, also known as the Cranes, released a statement as well via Instagram.

“David was not just a footballer,” the team said. “He was both a leader and an inspiration to a generation. As Captain of SC Villa, he led with courage, humility and passion. In the Uganda Cranes jersey, he carried the hopes of a nation.”

The Cranes added, “On behalf of the FUFA Executive Committee, Delegates, Members, Secretariat Staff and the entire football fraternity, we extend our deepest condolences to SC Villa, his family, teammates, coaches and all Ugandans on the loss of Owori. We have lost a son, a leader and a star. His light on and off the pitch will never be forgotten.”

Owori’s murder comes just two months after Ugandan rugby star Sydney Gongodyo died at age 27 under similar circumstances. Gongodyo was also beaten to death in Kampala after his attackers falsely accused him of stealing a woman’s purse. He also died in the hospital of his injuries.

Ugandan police arrested four men in relation to Gongodyo’s death and they are still searching for additional suspects, according to Uganda’s The Monitor.