A simple dispute over a latrine key has ended in a two deaths in Kalungu, Masaka with a woman allegedly stabbed to death before an angry mob hunted down and killed the suspected attacker.
The incident happened on Sunday morning at around 10am in the Kalungu area of Masaka.
Greater Masaka Regional Police spokesperson Twaha Kasirye said the trouble started when a man identified as Dan went to his neighbour, Nabukera Rehema, and asked for the key to a latrine.
Navukera reportedly refused to give him the key. Police allege that Dan then walked back to his room, about 20 metres away, only to return carrying a knife.
He allegedly stabbed Nabukera in the back of the neck. The woman reportedly raised an alarm as neighbours responded and rushed her to Villa Maria Hospital.
But her condition was critical, and she was pronounced dead at the hospital.
That was only the beginning of the violence.
Angered by the woman’s death, members of the community reportedly stormed Dan’s house, where he was hiding.
When he tried to run away, the mob caught up with him about 25 metres from his house, in front of a residence belonging to Rama Dani.
He was beaten to death by the mob. Police were later called to the scene and recovered the two bodies, which were taken to Masaka Referral Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Kasirye has condemned the violence, warning residents against turning suspected crimes into revenge killings. He urged the public to leave suspected offenders to the police and courts instead of taking the law into their own hands.
The incident is now being investigated as a double murder, with police working to establish the full circumstances surrounding the woman’s stabbing and the subsequent killing of the suspect.
Kasirye has appealed to the community to reject both murder and mob justice, warning that responding to crime with more violence only creates another victim and makes it harder for justice to be served.
