Kansaga man torches house with wife and children inside

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kabalagala police station is holding a man for attempting to burn his wife and two of his children in the house after a heated disagreement.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango has identified the suspect Nkenga Muhammad who set the house ablaze this morning after locking his two children and wife inside in Wiling zone-Kansanga in Makindye division, a Kampala suburb.

It’s alleged that Nkonge had an argument from 10:00 pm with the partner Nakalema Jane and quarreled until morning towards 5:00 am. However, he moved outside shortly and returned with a jerrycan of petrol, locked the house and set it ablaze.

After torching the house, the suspect took off, the two minors and their mother were rescued from the house with severe injuries by the locals before the police arrived on the scene.

“The two children and their mother have been rushed to “Nsambya hospital to receive  treatment and the fire was contained from further spreading to other houses,” said Onyango.

A police officer who visited the scene said the argument was apparently triggered by the woman who allegedly accused the husband of repeated infidelity.

“One neighbor told us that they have been engaging in similar fights with the woman accusing him of cheating on her, so this could have been the same reason that led him to burn her and the children in the house,” the police officers said.

According to Onyango, Nkonge Muhammad was arrested while on the run. He is currently detained at Kabalagala police station on charges of attempted murder and arson as the investigations continue in this matter.

According to the 2019 crime report, police registered 13,693 cases of domestic violence compared to 13,916 reported in 2018.

These cases were mainly caused by dispute over family property, failure to provide for the family, drugs and alcohol abuse, and cases of infidelity. A total of 14,232 people were victims of domestic violence.

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