Jilted lover kills former journalist

Police in Ntungamo are investigating circumstances under which a 28-year-old woman was allegedly killed by her lover. Ms Christine Niwamanya who formerly worked with Endigyito Radio in Mbarara town was allegedly killed by her boyfriend Mr Morris Warugaba.

Her body was found inside the canteen where she worked, at the time of her death. The canteen serves Ntungamo Magistrate’s court and the district headquarters.

According to police, the suspected killer attempted to commit suicide after the incident but was rescued by coworkers before the poison he had swallowed took effect.

“We are making investigations to find out what exactly caused the death of Ms Niwamanya. The person who allegedly killed her wanted to commit suicide by poison but was rescued. He was taken to a clinic and later transferred to Mbarara regional hospital,” said Mr Damian Katwesiime, the Ntungamo District police commander.

“However he has not yet been reprimanded. He left a note saying he killed her because their love had gone bad, thinking he would have died by the time people see the note,” he added.

He said the incident happened on Monday evening at around 5pm and the body of Ms Niwamanya was discovered 30 minutes later, by someone who had come to the canteen to buy airtime.

Eyewitnesses say they saw the suspect leaving his office, East Africa Natural Resources Limited, a company that deals in minerals, where he worked as a laboratory assistant walk into the canteen where Ms Niwamanya was, and was later seen leaving and going back to his place of work.

Because this was what he usually did, no one suspected anything wrong could have happened. A short while later an employee of the district, also Niwamanya’s friend entered the canteen to look for airtime only to receive no response. She then entered the back room where Niwamanya stayed, only to find her restless body lying on the bed.

The incident, it is alleged, followed a disagreement at the canteen between three men including the suspected killer and other two employees that happened at least two hours before the murder with each of the men claiming to be in love her. Four days earlier, Warugaba had locked her inside the same canteen accusing of her of being inside it with another man, but police were called to rescue her.

Police says Ms Niwamanya was strangled to death. Mr Katwesiime says police is working with the employers of Mr Warugaba, to have him apprehended and charged with murder as they investigate circumstances leading to her death.