Man 'hacks wife' to death in Gomba

Murder suspect Ponsiano Muyingo is on the run. (Credit: Simon Ssekidde)

CRIME | MURDER

The Police in Gomba district are hunting for a man believed to have hacked his wife to death using a machete (panga).

Ponsiano Muyingo, 45, is a resident of Kirumba Wanjeyo village in Kanoni town council and is said to be on the run after reportedly committing the crime.

The body of his 35-year-old wife, Resty Nakiyanja, was found locked up inside his house.

It is understood the couple had split about two months ago and were not staying together anymore.

Joseph Galabuzi, the village chairperson, said he was approached by Nakiyanja's elder son to report his mother's disappearance. Apparently, she had left her home to look for food on Monday but had not returned.

According to Galabuzi, the two had been married for more than a decade before separating recently after a series of fights. Nakiyanja is said to have accused her husband of not providing basic needs for the family and also him stealing money from her.

He reportedly was an alcoholic too.

Galabuzi said the couple are said to have lived peacefully for most of their marriage life until their relationship spiralled out of control recently.

"We leant of their misunderstandings but we thought they would sort the issues as grown-up people but after failing to agree, the wife decided to leave home and rent a house at the next village," he said.

Later, Nakiyanja built a house in a neighbouring village on a piece of land given to her by her late father, the village chairman added. The move reportedly angered her husband who pleaded her to return to their marital home.

On the day she left to get food, Nakayanja apparently returned to her husband's home to harvet food for her children. She did not return.

it is suspected Muyingo managed to get a hold of her, raped her (she was found naked with wounds) and later murdered her. Her body had deep head cuts.

After long fleeing, village residents managed to break open the door and recovered the body, which Police from Kanoni took to Gombe Hospital for a postmortem examination. They later handed the remains over to the family for bury.

Didas Byaruhanga, the district police commander, said the hunt for Muyingo is still on as police investigations into the murder continue.