Wife slits children’s throats in Butaleja

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A night of silence turned into a morning of horror in Butaleja district when a mother of two, reportedly consumed by rage and despair after her husband failed to return home, allegedly slit the throats of her infant children before ingesting poison. She died the same day, while her children remain hospitalised in critical condition.

The incident occurred in Hahola village, Mulagi parish, Busaba subcounty in Butaleja district on the night of April 20, 2026, and came to light the following morning of April 21.

Moses Mugwe, Bukedi South Region Police spokesperson, identified the woman as Rebecca Mula, 32, a peasant farmer and wife of Benjamin Wanamerie, a teacher at Busolwe Secondary School.

Her two children, Betani Baluka, aged two and a half years, and Gabriella Namudumba, just eight months old, are the victims.

According to police, Mula and her husband had supper together on the evening of April 20, 2026, before he left home and did not return that night. When he came back the following morning, reportedly unable to explain where he had spent the night, a violent argument broke out, after which he left for work.

Alone and distressed, Mula made a phone call to her brother-in-law, informing him that she intended to kill the children and then take her own life.

Alarmed, the brother-in-law immediately alerted Mula’s mother-in-law, urging her to go to the home.

When she arrived, she found both children with deep cuts around their necks and Mula unconscious beside them. She raised the alarm, and neighbours rushed all three to Busolwe Hospital.

Mula was pronounced dead on the same day and was buried on April 23, 2026, in Luuka district. A post-mortem confirmed that she had ingested poison. The two children remain admitted, nursing deep wounds to their necks.

Police recovered blood-stained clothes and a knife from the scene. Officers from Busaba Subcounty Police Station and the Scene of Crime Office visited the area. A case of attempted murder and attempted suicide had been opened as Butaleja CRB 150/2026.

"We condemn acts of violence that lead to such serious repercussions. Always report suspicious situations of domestic violence to your LC or nearest police station before things get worse," Mugwe said.