81 people killed in three months in Kigezi - Police

Police in Kigezi Sub-region say they have recorded 81 deaths in the last three months.

Speaking to Monitor on Monday, the police spokesman for Kigezi, Mr Elly Maate, on Monday attributed the deaths to road accidents, murder, assault, mob justice, and drowning, among others.

Several other criminal cases including thefts, defilement, and armed robbery were also recorded at different police stations in the region.

“All the suspects in the registered murder cases were arrested and are being prosecuted in courts of law. As we begin a new year, let us love one another and follow the law by reporting our grievances to the authorities in case roundtable conflict resolution fails. Avoid acts of mob action because every life matters,” Mr Maate said.

He mentioned the accident that happened on December 30 at Rwahi, the border village of Ntungamo and Rukiga districts, in which two buses had a head-on collision that resulted in the death of six and dozens others sustained injuries.

“It is our appeal that road users must always observe the highway code that requires them to be extra careful and disciplined besides the drivers ensuring that their vehicles are in good mechanical condition,” Mr Maate said.

He added that one of the murder cases involved four men gang-raping a 13-year-old Glorious Akampurira Owembabazi, a resident of Kyarugondo Village in Kamuganguzi Sub-county Kabale District at around 8pm on Christmas Day.

Mr Maate said the girl later died at Kabale Regional Referral Hospital.

“The victim was returning from a nearby shop where her parents had sent her to buy some items. This case was reported by the Kamuganguzi LCIII chairman, Mr Elias Twesigomwe. The police responded quickly before all the suspects in the murder case were arrested,” Mr Maate said.

The State minister for Trade Industry and Cooperatives, Mr David Bahati, who also doubles as the Member of Parliament for Ndorwa West Constituency in Kabale, on Saturday visited the family of Owembabazi and appealed to the local leaders to work closely with the security operatives to weed out the wrong elements.

“I condole with the family members of the 13-year-old primary school girl that was gang raped by four men, an act that resulted in her death. Local leaders and parents should always convince their children to remain in school for their bright future instead of watching them drop out to start involving in criminal acts,” Mr Bahati said.

Hot spot

The chairman for Kamuganguzi Sub-county, Mr Elias Twesigomwe, and his vice, Ms Jackline Namanya, appealed to the security officials in Kabale to intensify police deployment in their sub-county by establishing more police posts with enough manpower to handle the increasing criminal cases in their area.

“We have several criminal gangs in this sub-county most of whom are school dropouts that have resorted to theft, house breaking, rape and defilement.

They commit all these criminal cases after consuming marijuana and threaten any local leader that talks about them. I appeal for the establishment of several police posts so that these criminal gangs can be arrested and prosecuted,” Mr Twesigomwe said.