Police in Sembabule District are investigating a double homicide involving a man accused of killing both a village chairperson and his deputy during a land dispute.
The incident occurred around 4pm on Saturday in Kigando B Village, Mijwala Sub-county. The deceased have been identified as Kafuma Mbazira, the village chairperson, and his deputy, Steven Sunday.
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Local accounts indicate that the suspect, Michael Ssenyondo, had sold portions of his land to several individuals. Despite selling a plot to one of the buyers, John Mawanda, Ssenyondo allegedly continued to harvest coffee from the land.
Mawanda filed a complaint with the local authorities, prompting village leaders to summon Ssenyondo for a meeting held at Mawanda’s residence. The gathering quickly escalated into violence.
According to an eyewitness who asked not to be named, Ssenyondo grabbed a hand hoe and attacked both leaders. Sunday died instantly, while Mbazira later succumbed to his injuries at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Kampala.
After the attack, Ssenyondo fled, prompting angry residents to destroy his home and a section of his banana plantation in retaliation.
Darausi Maalo, the internal security officer for Lyabaana Parish, described the suspect as a former drug user whose behavior had recently become unstable.
“He hasn’t been mentally stable. We suspect his drug use played a role in his violent actions,” Maalo said.
Southern Regional Police spokesperson Twaha Kasirye confirmed that Ssenyondo was apprehended in Kyanamukkaka Sub-county, Masaka District, where he was rescued from a lynch mob.
“We intervened just in time to save him from being killed by the public,” Kasirye noted, adding that police are also pursuing those responsible for vandalizing Ssenyondo’s property.
Ssenyondo is expected to face murder charges pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation.
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