Authorities in eastern Uganda are investigating two separate incidents of suspected homicide—one involving a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier believed to have been strangled, and another in which a man allegedly killed his father using a hoe.
In Kibuku District, police have opened a murder inquiry following the death of 60-year-old Corporal Jackson Bankunda, a UPDF officer stationed at Bombo Army Barracks. He was found dead early Wednesday morning in his rice garden under suspicious circumstances.
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“On May 14, 2025, at around 4:00 a.m., the deceased reportedly left his home to chase birds from his rice garden—a routine he often performed—with his six-year-old granddaughter,” said Bukedi North Regional Police spokesperson Wilfred Kyempasa.
Later that morning, Bankunda’s wife went to check on them and found their granddaughter alone, with birds swarming the rice field. At the far end of the garden, she discovered her husband’s lifeless body.
“It is suspected that unknown individuals may have strangled him,” Kyempasa said.
Police processed the scene, recorded witness statements, and transported the body to Kibuku Mortuary for a postmortem. Authorities have asked the public to stay calm as investigations progress.
Son in Custody Over Father’s Death
On the same day, police in neighbouring Budaka District arrested a 25-year-old man accused of murdering his father in Busikwe Village, Katira Sub-county.
The suspect, Denis Galandi, reportedly approached a neighbour and told her to come and see what he had done to his father, 71-year-old Moses Nghangha. Upon entering the house, she found the elderly man dead in the sitting room, lying in a pool of blood.
“The alarm was raised, and locals apprehended the suspect before handing him over to police at Kerekerene Post. He has since been transferred to Kibuku Central Police Station,” said Kyempasa.
Police recovered a hoe believed to have been used in the attack, and the body was taken to Mbale City Mortuary for a postmortem. The motive behind the killing remains unclear, but investigations are ongoing.
Both cases have unsettled residents and come amid renewed concerns about violent crime in Uganda, with the 2024 crime report revealing an average of 26 murders per day.
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