Child killed while man attacked his father-in-law’s house in Kabarole

Kabarole District police are investigating the brutal murder of a child in Kakworo Village, Hakibale District, where a 28-year-old man is accused of attacking the 49-year-old’s house in the early hours of October 29, 2024. -His former father-in-law’s name is Samuel Muhiigi.

The suspect, who has since been identified as Nazalio Kakana, is said to have hacked 12-year-old Susan Mary Kabjwika and her 7-year-old brother Peter Ampaire, targeting them while they slept.

Susan later succumbed to panga incision injuries shortly after arriving at Fort Portal Regional Referral Hospital, while Ampaire was still in critical condition Wednesday night.

Rwenzori West regional police spokesperson SP Vincent Twesige said the incident was believed to have stemmed from a long-standing family dispute following marital problems that led to Kakana falling out with his two wives.

The two spouses are biological siblings.

“After disagreements with his wives, Kakana divorced his elder wife, leaving her sister behind. “Later, she also left him following a domestic misunderstanding, which led the suspect to look for a younger wife, 15 years old.”

“However, the suspect threatens to harm his father-in-law due to the divorce of his spouses. Police noted that the deceased and the boy were in a vulnerable situation because their mother was divorced.

Muhiigi and the victims were sleeping in the same room at the time of the attack.

SP Twesige said officers from Hakibale Police Station and a specialist team from Kabarole District Police Station responded to the scene but were yet to arrest the suspect.

“The victim had multiple fresh cuts on various body parts, including the head and hands, and sustained compound fractures to the fingers and occipital bone. A severe hematoma was also detected in the head area, and the deceased’s clothes were soaked in blood. The police statement said, “The bandages surrounding the head were probably “It shows that there was an attempt to cause head trauma before the incident.”

SP Twesige stressed that the bloody walls and bedspreads evidenced a violent incident and that exhibits were collected from the scene for ongoing forensic investigations.

However, police are yet to find the lethal weapon, believed to be a panga or a machete.

According to the 2023 annual police crime report, approximately 25 people die in murder or accidents every day in Uganda.