Jilted lover on the run after brutal acid attack in Rakai

 ________________

A 20-year-old woman is in critical condition after she was allegedly attacked with acid by her partner.

The incident occurred on March 30, 2026, in Kibaale cell, Kibaale town council, Rakai district.

The victim, identified as Olivia Atungirwe, a hairdresser, is receiving specialised care at Masaka Regional Referral Hospital after sustaining injuries to her head, chest, stomach and other parts of the body.

Police say the suspect, Rogers Musinguzi, fled the scene immediately and remains at large, prompting a joint manhunt by police and residents.

Residents told police that Atungirwe and Musinguzi had a longstanding dispute that had reportedly gone unresolved.

It is reported that their issues had been brought to local authorities and Kibaale Police Station for redress, and the couple had occasionally attempted reconciliation.

According to residents, during the early days of their relationship, Musinguzi sponsored Atungirwe to learn hairdressing with hopes of marrying her after she completed the course.

However, after completing the course, their relationship began to develop serious cracks. Atungirwe chose to leave and live a new life despite repeated pleas from Musinguzi for her to stay.

Her decision reportedly did not sit well with Musinguzi, who demanded a refund of all the money he had spent on her training. She was unable to meet this request, as she had not yet started working.

According to Twaha Kasirye, the Masaka regional police spokesperson, Musinguzi followed her to her new place of residence and workplace and poured acid on her, leaving her in critical condition.

He added that residents rushed her to a local clinic for first aid before she was transferred to the hospital.

“A file has been opened for investigation, and we urge Musinguzi to turn himself in at any nearby police station,” Kasirye added.

Acid is a corrosive substance that can cause severe bodily harm, disfigurement, or death, depending on the quantity used and the extent of the damage.

Other cases

This is not the first acid attack reported in Rakai District and the Greater Masaka region. In 2015, police in Kakuuto arrested a businessman, Anthony Bukenya, in connection with an acid attack targeting his father following a dispute over land and other family property.

Bukenya reportedly took advantage of an unlocked bedroom window to pour acid into a room where his father and other family members were sleeping, but he missed the intended target.

In January 2018, Masaka lost a prominent car dealer, John Bosco Ssemujju, to a gruesome acid attack. Residents and local leaders attributed the attack to a lack of strict laws regulating access, sale, and use of the chemical.

Regulation on acid

Acid violence is an offence punishable under the Penal Code Cap 120. According to Section 216 (g), perpetrators of acid or burn violence with intent to maim are liable to life imprisonment.

If an acid attack, committed with “malice aforethought”, results in death, it is treated as murder under Section 188 and is punishable by death under Section 189.

Concentrated sulphuric acid, mainly intended for car batteries, is widely available at petrol stations and garages.

In the Masaka region, acid is easily accessed from garages. However, no records of buyers are always kept, making it difficult for police to trace purchases in cases of misuse that result in bodily harm or death.