Husband hangs himself after killing wife in Ibanda

The police in Ibanda district are investigating the circumstances surrounding a suicide by hanging that took place in Rugaaga Village, Keihangara sub-county.

The deceased is Bernard Muhwezi, aged 56-year-old man whose lifeless body was discovered on Wednesday afternoon, hanging from a coffee tree behind his residence.

Samson Kasasira, the spokesperson for the Rwizi Region Police, says that Muhwezi committed suicide following the alleged murder of his wife Octavia Atuhaire, a resident of the same area, who was found dead in the kitchen.

Preliminary investigations suggest that a conflict over money, stemming from Muhwezi’s sale of over 100 kilograms of coffee, had intensified between the couple. Dinah Ashaba Mugisha, the Chairperson of Rugaaga 5 cell, revealed that Muhwezi had hidden in nearby bushes after killing his wife.

Under the cover of darkness, when most people were asleep, he returned to the scene and took his own life by hanging himself. Shockingly, Muhwezi had torn the money earned from the coffee sale into small pieces and scattered it beneath the coffee tree where his body was found.

Mugisha classified this incident as an act of domestic violence and urged residents to seek assistance from local authorities in case of misunderstandings or disputes.

Francis Kariyo, the Chairperson of LC3 Keihangara sub-county, expressed concern, stating that his office registers approximately three cases per week, with many women reporting neglect by their husbands.

The body of the deceased has been conveyed to Ruhoko Health IV for postmortem examination.