NELSON K
Rubanda District Police Commander (DPC) SP Abel Barugahare says he is not aware of a recent murder case in Kacereere Town Council, sparking anger from residents who accuse police of failure to promote justice, peace, and order.
The community claims that instead of providing security, police officers have resorted to demanding money from crime reporters, a vice they say has left them hopeless and ready to seek justice on their own.
On Sunday, 17th August 2025, residents of Kacereere Town Council woke up to shocking news after an elderly woman, Udita Kobusingye, a resident of Kitweego cell, was reportedly raped and murdered in Nyarushiija trading center, Nyarushiija ward.
According to local leaders led by Nyamatembe cell LC1 chairperson Mr. Mbabazi Jeffrey, Kobusingye was attacked in the early hours of Sunday morning by unknown assailants. Though she survived the initial assault, she died on the way to Muko Health Center Four (Kamugongo Hospital). Her body was later returned to Kitweego cell by relatives and laid to rest on Tuesday afternoon.
Mr. Mbabazi said residents suspect hooligans to be behind the act but expressed concern that police neither investigated this case nor another recent murder in the same trading center.
He added that domestic violence cases are on the rise in the area, linking the situation to rampant alcohol and drug abuse among idle youths who arm themselves and terrorize communities. Despite a record of about five to six murder cases in Greater Bufundi subcounty over the past two months, Mbabazi noted that police have failed to conduct night patrols or investigations, with residents now viewing them as unreliable.
Relatives of the deceased also expressed bitterness. Wenceslaus Kanyaagu, the son-in-law to the late Kobusingye, said residents had resorted to silence after losing trust in the police. He narrated how he once spent more than one million shillings seeking justice for his biological mother who was attacked with acid, but no suspects were brought to book despite being known.
In his response, Rubanda DPC SP Abel Barugahare insisted that police services are free and urged residents to report any officers soliciting money directly to his office with evidence. He, however, claimed he had not yet received any official report regarding the murder of Kobusingye and promised to call the area OC station to verify the matter.
Residents maintain that they have lost faith in the police, accusing them of turning justice into a money-making business. As a result, some victims’ families choose not to report cases while others seek their own form of justice, living with unhealed wounds and frustration.
