Police in Kabale investigate suspected murder of local businessman

Police in Kabale is investigating circumstances surrounding a 56-year-old man whose body was found floating on the shores of Lake Bunyonyi Kakoko, Kitumba sub-county, Kabale district on Sunday evening.

According to Elly Maate the Kigezi Region Police Spokesperson, the deceased is Vanansio Zirihoona, a resident of Kabisha village, Mwendo parish, Kitumba sub-county, Kabale district who had reportedly disappeared two days after fighting with his family members.  

He was also a renowned tailor operating along Kabale Main Street in Kabale town. Locals discovered Zirihoona’s body at around 6:30 PM.  

His brother Joseph Sunday, says that at around 11:00 PM on Friday night, a serious fight erupted between Zirihoona and his family members led by his wife Innocent Tumuheirwe and his eldest son who is also the Mwendo parish youth counselor identified as Isaac Lucky alias Chicharito over his 10-year-old son. 

Zirihoona had reportedly spent many years feuding with Tumuheirwe accusing her of infidelity and getting a child with another man.

However, the couple decided to take the child for a DNA test last week and Zirihoona was not happy and protested that doctors did not remove testing samples from him for examining to determine the real father of a contested child.

During the fight, the deceased attempted to burn Tumuheirwe and Lucky from inside the house using kerosene but they instead overpowered him and put off the fire.

“The wife to the deceased while sleeping with the sons in the boys quarter’s, they sighted light coming from the door way and on opening, they saw the curtain burning and Zirihona standing outside watching them, holding a bottle of Rwenzori with paraffin. Isaac his son asked the father why he attempted to burn them but Vanancio kept quiet and instead walked away minus saying anything and disappeared” Maate says.

Since then, Zirihoona disappeared until on Sunday evening when his body was found floating on the lake.

Neighbors suspect that Zirihoona was killed by Tumuheirwe and Lucky and his body dumped into the lake since it was found with wounds on the legs and back.

The body was retrieved from the lake and taken to Kabale hospital mortuary for a postmortem report. Maate says inquiries are ongoing to ascertain whether the deceased was killed before being taken to lake Bunyonyi or its suicide.