MICHAEL N
Residents of Itojo Sub-county in Ruhaama Constituency, Ntungamo District, are living in fear following a wave of insecurity in which four people were brutally attacked by unknown assailants in a single night.
The victims are currently admitted at Itojo Hospital nursing serious injuries sustained during the attacks. They told our reporter that cases of violent crime have sharply increased in the area.
One of the victims, Dominic Muhwezi, a security guard around Itojo Town, said he was attacked on Friday night by two unidentified people. He was cut on the head with pangas, beaten, and robbed of his clothes, mobile phone, and money.
Another victim, Kamuntu Francis from Ruhanga Parish, was also attacked the same night while heading home. He was assaulted and cut, and the attackers stole UGX 400,000 and two smartphones. Kamuntu expressed dissatisfaction with the district security leadership, including police, the RDC, and the DPC, whom he accuses of failing to curb rising insecurity. He noted that such machete attacks were previously associated with Masaka but have now spread to Ntungamo.
Simon Kamukama, who is in critical condition at Itojo Hospital, narrated that he narrowly survived an attempted murder. He was cut on the head, lost his right eye, and sustained deep wounds on his back after being beaten severely. Kamukama said the attackers fled when a passing motorcyclist’s headlights illuminated the scene, giving him a second chance at life.
The Vice Chairperson of Rwempiri Cell, Miria Natuha Kankuku, confirmed that her own home was once raided in broad daylight, with property stolen from outside. She attributed the rising crime to the withdrawal of LDUs from villages, weak enforcement of laws, failure by local councils to identify new residents, lack of police patrols in the evenings, and the release of suspects after arrest.
Meanwhile, John Kabeeho Nikibasika, an aspiring LC5 Chairperson for Ntungamo District, who visited the victims at the hospital, urged residents to move in groups, especially as the Christmas season approaches. He condemned security agencies for failing to protect citizens, accusing them of instead focusing on opposition politicians during campaigns.
In response, Ntungamo District RDC Miriam Mugisha Kagiga said security agencies have arrested some suspects and appealed to the public to cooperate by reporting anyone suspected of engaging in criminal activities to the police.
