Man jailed six years for cutting off grandmothers fingers

Mukono. Mukono Chief Magistrate Agnes Nkonge on Wednesday sentenced a 29-year-old man to six years in prison for cutting off his 79-year-old grandmother’s fingers in a land dispute.
Prosecution told court that during the months of January and October 2013, Sadiq Katongole, a resident of Kiwala, Lwanyonyi village in Nama sub-county trespassed on Ms Nnalongo Juliana Bafakore (complainant’s)’s land and threatened to harm her if she didn’t give him his share.
Prosecution said that Katongole who claimed to be a grand child to Ms Bafakore, demanded for land and when she hesitated, he threatened to kill her.

“I only got to find out about Katongole (convict) after my husband, Deogratius Petero Buuza had already died when he came to claim for his share of the land,” Ms Bafakore said.
Apparently, Ms Bafakore has lived on the disputed land for over 58 years after she married the late Deogratius Petero Buuza in 1957.
It was also proved in court that Katongole didn’t have any legal documentation to back his claim to the land and yet still went ahead to threaten Bafakore because he believed he had a right to it.
Court further heard that in the middle of the argument about the disputed land, Mr Katongole raised his panga and cut Ms Bafakore’s left hand fingers as she tried to defend herself.
Katongole who inherited land in Masaka sold it off and returned to his grandmother’s where he started threatening and trying to force her off the land, she had spent almost her entire life.
The presiding Chief Magistrate said that such cases are rampant in Mukono and since the offence was very grave that it might have led to death, Katongole was convicted of assault and given six years in jail to serve as an example to the rest who intend to do the same.