23/11/2025
TRAGIC INCIDENT IN JIKA MUKUA (KUTKUMB TRIBE)
A serious and heartbreaking incident occurred in our Jika Mukua community, involving violence related to the recent council election.
The trouble began after the declaration on Thursday, when the current council member was announced as the winner. On Friday, the brother of the council member was driving home when a group of supporters of another candidate blocked the road. These boys were angry about their candidate’s loss and began throwing stones at the vehicle.
In fear and confusion, the council member’s brother reversed the car, trying to escape, but in the process the vehicle struck several people. Most jumped out of the way, but one of the men involved in the stone-throwing was hit directly and died.
Later that evening, around 8–9 pm, a group of boys—after hearing that one of their own had died—walked to the section belonging to the current council member. They set fire to his permanent iron-roof house and his taxi vehicle.
Inside the house at the time were several innocent students:
– Two final-year students from UOT,
– One young woman from Mt Hagen,
– One Manus–Sepik mix youth,
– A Grade 12 student,
– And another youth attending Mt Hagen Secondary School.
These young people had travelled for graduation at Togoba and were resting in the house, exhausted.
When the attackers set the house on fire, the students were trapped. Two girls who had come for their graduation tragically died together, holding each other as the flames overtook the building. Another student from Mt Hagen Secondary survived but suffered serious injuries. In total, three people died in the house fire, and four more were attacked and later died from their injuries.
This brings the confirmed death toll to seven people, along with the destruction of permanent houses and three vehicles.
This tragedy is a painful reminder of how election-related violence damages families, destroys future leaders, and tears communities apart. Let us stand together, reject violence, and work for justice and peace in Jika Mukua.
