Police probe double murder at hotel in Lungujja

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Police in Kampala are investigating a double murder involving fatal stabbings at Dave Hotel and Suites in Mbubi zone, Lungujja parish.

Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Rachel Kawala said the incident was reported on February 7, 2026, and is being handled by officers from Lungujja Police Station.

The victims have been identified as Asasira Shivani, 30, the hotel manager, and Musinguzi Lawrence, about 27, a security guard at the facility.

Preliminary findings indicate that at about 10:00am, the hotel owner received a call from Asasira reporting that she could not trace the security guard and that his phones were switched off.

At around 11:30am, the owner attempted to return the call, but the manager’s phone was also unreachable.

“At about 3:00pm, the owner went to the hotel and discovered that both the manager and the security guard had been murdered by unknown assailants,” Kawala said in a statement released on Sunday.

Police said a white Toyota Harrier, registration number UBH 633M, was stolen from the premises by the attackers.

The bodies were found in separate rooms and were later conveyed to Mulago Hospital Mortuary for postmortem examinations.

Kawala said investigations are ongoing and police are pursuing leads to identify and arrest the suspects. She appealed to the public to share any information that may assist police investigations.

According to the 2024 Police Crime Report, an average of 12 people are murdered daily in Uganda.

The report indicates that 4,329 people were killed in 2024, representing a 1.9 per cent increase from the 4,248 murders recorded in 2023.

Of the cases recorded in 2024, 1,274 were taken to court, of which 333 did not proceed, while 2,722 cases remain under inquiry.

Assault resulting in death accounted for the highest number of cases at 1,339, followed by mob action with 1,016 cases, strangulation with 491 cases and hacking with 310 cases. A total of 326 people were killed using blunt objects.

The report further shows that 268 people were stabbed to death, 188 were shot, and 183 died as a result of aggravated domestic violence.

Other deaths were attributed to poisoning with 108 cases, ritual murders with 72 cases and arson with 30 cases.

Regionally, Luwero district registered the highest number of murders linked to mob action in 2024, followed by Kampala, Mpigi, Buikwe, Kakumiro, Kyegegwa and Iganga. Wakiso district recorded the highest number of murder cases by strangulation, while Kotido district led in murders by shooting, followed by Moroto, Nakapiripirit, Mbarara, Kabong, Mukono, Kira Division, Agago and Entebbe.