EDITOR
Territorial police in Rubanda District have launched a manhunt for a 35-year-old woman, Salimu Joventa, who is suspected of murdering her husband, Andrew Byomugabe, a 50-year-old nurse and resident of Ndego Trading Centre in Kashasha Parish, Ikumba Sub-County.
According to police reports, the tragic incident occurred on the evening of May 1, 2025, at around 6:00 p.m. The deceased’s son, Hillary Akampumuza, reportedly borrowed a neighbor’s phone and called his stepmother, Atuheire Praize, informing her that his father was dead inside the house. Atuheire, who resides in Nyamabare, attempted to call her husband, but his phone was switched off. She then reached out to neighbors to check on his condition.
When questioned by concerned community members, the suspect, Joventa, claimed that Byomugabe had traveled to Mbarara to sell timber. However, suspicions grew as more people gathered at the residence. Local Council III Chairperson for Ikumba Sub-County, Mr. Wensi, joined the neighbors, who eventually broke into the locked bedroom. Inside, they discovered Byomugabe’s lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, with a grey sweater tied around his head next to a patient’s bed.
Joventa fled the scene under the cover of darkness.
Police were notified and promptly registered a case of murder at Rubanda Police Station. The crime scene was visited, processed, and documented. Although no exhibits were recovered, a postmortem was conducted at the scene.
According to ASP Elly Maate, the Kigezi Region Police Spokesperson, community policing was also conducted at the scene to maintain calm and gather more information. The deceased’s body was handed over to his family for burial, and investigations into the matter are ongoing.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the suspect is urged to contact the nearest police station.
