Residents flee village as Police hunt killers of 75-year-old man in Kayunga

KAYUNGA. Police in Kayunga District have started a hunt for residents in Nnalyamabidde Village in Kayunga Sub-County who allegedly hacked to death on a 75-year-old man on Thursday night.

According to preliminary investigations by the police, angry residents killed Mzee Patrick Makonzi on suspicion that his son was involved in acts of witchcraft that had caused a number of residents to run mad.
After learning that Mzee Makonzi’s son had gone into hiding, Kayunga district CID boss Isaac Mugera said residents decided to turn their anger on the old man.

The angry residents also cut down six acres of coffee and banana plantations belonging to Mr Makonzi’s son and torched his house. The latter was not at home with his family during the attack.

“So far, eight people, including the village chairperson, Mr Badru Gaswaga have been arrested in connection with the incident and we are still hunting for more,” Mr Mugera said in an interview on Saturday.
He said murder charges will be preferred against the suspects when police investigations are complete.
Meanwhile most of the residents in the village have since deserted their homes for fear of being arrested by police.
According to Mr Charles Terulaga, a brother to the deceased, it all began two months ago, when alleged evil spirits attacked the village and made five people, among them three women, run berserk.

After the incident, Mr Terulaga said, village chairperson, Mr Badru Gaswaga mobilized residents and collected money which was used to hire the services of a traditional healer to exorcise the suspected evil spirits.
“The traditional healer after carrying out his work, pointed and named Mzee Makonzi’s son as being the trouble causer,” Mr Terulaga said.

The residents who were attacked by suspected demons allegedly spoke in tongues and complained of headache.
None of the victims has died from the said demonic attacks.
According to Mr Terulaga, on Thursday night at around 9pm, an anonymous person called Mzee Makonzi, who was at his second home in Kiwangula trading centre before they descended on him with machetes.

“The caller told Mzee Makonzi that he wanted to meet him at his home in Nnalyamabidde. He rode his bicycle carrying his wife and they fell into an ambush of about 15 people with machetes. They hacked him on the head, but spared the woman,” he said.

They attackers later took off.

Mzee Makonzi died on the way to Kayunga hospital where he was being rushed by relatives, Mr Terulaga said.
He added that a number of innocent residents have been killed in the district in cases related to witchcraft.