Maid kills boss'' child after being threatened with sack

By Madhinah Nalwanga

It has become every parent's nightmare leaving their child in the care of a maid at home. But for these two grieving parents it is stuff made out of horror movies.

Flavia Akello and Andrew Muinde, like any hardworking parents said goodbye to their two-year old daughter and left for work; little did they know it would be the last time they would see her - alive.

The couple had left their daughter, Phoebe Kasyoka, in the care of a maid identified only as Fiona who was just one-month old on the job.

Phoebe's mother Akello said they had been wary of the maid's temperament because of the way she barked at their daughter, and had warned to sack her if she did not change her ways.

Akello says when she was called and told her child lay lifeless on the couch in the sitting room she did not believe it, so she called a neighbour who usually checked in on the situation at home, to ascertain the truth. When the neighbour rushed home, her fears were confirmed.

Little Phoebe's life had just been squeezed out of her. The neighbour reported that in fact the girl's body was already cold.

Maid flees, leaves girl's lifeless body on couch

The maid is reported to have left the house locked and rushed to her auntie, Florence Ado's place in Naguru barracks and informed her that her boss' daughter was seriously ill at home.

Florence however got concerned, and frightened, for her niece had with her all her belongings and seemed to be in a hurry going somewhere. Florence was the contact person through whom little Phoebe's parents had got the maid.

Stricken with panic Florence called Phoebe's parents and told them what Fiona's had reported to her; but in that confusion the maid had sneaked out and left with her luggage.

At about the same time back in Bweyogerere, Kakajjo Zone, at Akello's home, neighbours had been alerted on seeing the maid leave the home with luggage, yet she as supposed to be looking after little Phoebe.

The rushed to the home and called out the girl's name, but no response came.

They forced open the door and alas! There, on the couch, with scratch marks on her neck, lay little Phoebe's lifeless body.

In total disbelief and shock, they called the parents and gave them the heart wrenching news. The maid had just fled, leaving the strangled body of their child on the couch.

When the parents arrived, together with neighbours, they rushed the child to Ggwaatiro hospital in Bweyogerere, where it was established that little Phoebe had been strangled.

Isma Ssewannyana, one of the enumerators of the ongoing national population census exercise in the area narrated that two days back he had gone to the home and found the maid locked in with the little girl.

He said she had been barking at her and harassing her. He said the maid had only opened the window and declined to answer any question.

Isma said after the unusual exchange he had told neighbours to warn the child's parents about the maid because what he had witnessed had been frightening.

Concerned neighbours are said to have gone to the home to see what was happening.

It is believed it was after that incident and the parents' warning to the maid about mistreating their child, that triggered her into an unspeakable act of rage.

Police from Bweyogerere and Kakajjo led by David Epedu and Richard Kasule decided that the body is taken to Mulago hospital for a full postmortem.

The maid's auntie, Florence, was arrested and locked up at Bweyogerere police as the hunt for her niece goes on. The case number is SD REF25/03/09/2014.

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