Wife, son in custody over battering man to death

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The police in Kisoro district are holding a mother and her son in connection with the brutal murder of her husband in a toxic domestic relationship that turned fatal.

It is said that after failing to settle a simple misunderstanding with the elder wife, she instead tipped off her son, who was already working in Kampala city. This prompted him to hurriedly return home in anger and reinforce his mother.

They allegedly trapped the 62-year-old Emmanuel Nzabara in her house and mauled him in what the police in Bunagana, Kisoro district, have described as murder by assault.

The Kigezi region police spokesman, Elly Maate, in a statement issued August 9, 2025, confirmed the arrest of Vasta Nyamagyere, Nzabara’s elder wife, and her son, Innocent Maniragaba, who were facing charges of murder.

It is alleged that Nzabara, a taxi driver and resident of Bunagana town council, Kisoro district, had some conflict with his second and elder wife in what was suspected to be linked to jealousy and his alleged failure to balance his polygamous relationship.

According to police findings, on August 7, 2025, Nzabara identified a businessman who agreed to hire his kiosk at an undisclosed monthly rent.

But according to Maate, the wife protested the transaction, with observers suspecting that she believed the husband would give part of the proceeds to her co-wife.

Maate explained that the suspect bought a strong padlock and locked the kiosk, which caused tension in the home as the man demanded it be unlocked to allow the new tenant to start his business.

It is said that after being informed about what had happened at home, Maniragaba, who was working in Kampala, travelled by public means back home, covering a distance of over 500km and taking more than eight hours, to intervene on behalf of his mother.

“On 08/08/025, Maniragaba, son to the deceased, travelled from Kampala and upon arrival, he fought with his father over the same while he locked him in the house of his mother,” Maate explained, adding that during the fight, the deceased sustained fatal injuries on the head.

Neighbours intervened and tried to rescue the old man, but his condition was already critical.

He was rushed to Mutolere Hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead at around 3:00am, sending shockwaves in the area.

Maate said a team of detectives was deployed to the scene, and the case was registered at Bunagana Police Station. Statements were obtained from eyewitnesses, all of whom pointed to the elder wife and her son as the perpetrators.

He said the postmortem was done at Mutolere Hospital, and the body was later handed over to relatives for burial. The two suspects were taken into custody as further investigations into the matter continued.

“We advise people to avoid using violence to settle their grievances or unlawful means; they should instead look for other peaceful methods of resolving misunderstandings,” he said.