Woman dies of suspected poisoning

Police in Rukungiri are investigating circumstances under which a woman identified as Ronah Tayebwa, a resident of Ihendamata cell in Bwambara Sub County, Rukungiri District died.

According to Hope Tushemereirwe, an eyewitness, she was looking for her lost pig and saw a person lying in the bush in the morning hours. She then made an alarm calling for help.

“As I was looking for my pig, I saw a polythene bag. As I moved close to it, I saw a woman sleeping. I called out to her but she was not responding then I made an alarm,” she said.

The chairperson of Ihendamata cell, David Ikeme, said that the deceased was last seen at her shop at around 3pm on Wednesday July 31 so they were surprised to hear that she had died.

“She was around her shop, but later when she closed it, we thought she had gone home as usual. But she never returned,” he said, adding: “We had not reported a missing person yet because we thought she would eventually come back.”

The deceased’s Uncle Gideon Rurihona, said that he had talked to her a few days earlier and she seemed unwell and bothered about the education of her daughter.

“We talked last Sunday; she seemed to be bothered about where to get her daughter’s school fees, but I did not know she would do such a thing, I don’t know whether she killed herself or she was murdered, God knows,” he said.
The officer in charge of Rukungiri Police Station, Mr Edwin Atukunda, said preliminary investigations show she might have killed herself, because next to her body was a small bottle, suspected to contain poison.

“We have started investigations, we are going to check the body and the bottle next to it, and a report will be given to you,” he said.

The body was carried to Rwakabengo Health Centre III mortuary as investigations continue.