Police in Kasangati have arrested a couple for torturing to death their 20-year-old disabled daughter.
The incident happened on November 9, 2024, in Mairye village in Busukuma sub-county, Nansana division in Wakiso district. The deceased was identified as Esther Nakakande, a daughter to Elemiya Kibirige, aged 50, and Justine Zalwango, aged 40, all residents of Mairye village in Busukuma sub-county, Wakiso district.
Initial reports indicate that one of Kibirige’s relatives, identified as Kalule, had gone to visit them; however, he found Nakakande dead, which prompted him to alert the locals for help.
Kalule, who is Kibirige’s brother, revealed that Nakakande was brought to stay with Kibirige after her biological mom passed away; however, she found her stepmother, staying with her father, and has been staying with them for four months.
He added that the victim was under torture and poor feeding for four months under the duo’s care and that the local leaders were informed about it too.
“Me and other relatives checked Nakakande’s body, and we found it with many deep wounds; some were new and others were old, but she was malnourished too, which shows that she was not being fed well or not given food at all, which is sad,’’ Kalule disclosed.
Kalule further said that there were some missing body parts on Nakakande’s body, which shows that they might have been cut off for rituals.
“My brother and his wife need to be punished heavily because what they did is an abomination and wrong too,’’ he noted.
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In an interview with journalists, SP Patrick Onyango, the Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, confirmed this incident and revealed that the duo is in police custody at Kasangati.
Onyango added that investigations are underway; however, police are also waiting for Nakakande’s postmortem examinations so as to aid them in their investigations.
“This couple is going to be charged with murder because they were deliberately torturing her and refusing to give her food with an intent to kill her,’’ Onyango said.
He also called upon women to stop mistreating and torturing children because of late there are many related cases to such incidents, which is bad yet women are known to be protectors but not killers.
This case highlights the severe consequences of child abuse in Uganda and the legal system’s response to such heinous acts.
On November 7, 2024, a 34-year-old woman identified as Sarah Namwanje, a resident of Binyonyi A, Nyendo-Mukungwe Division in Masaka City, was sentenced to 35 years in prison after she recorded and sent a viral video of herself feeding her neighbor’s 10-month-old baby with feces and urine on November 4, 2024.
These incidents collectively illustrate a troubling pattern of child neglect and abuse in the country, prompting calls for greater governmental action and community awareness to protect children.
