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Accumulated debts force father to stab three children, one dies
Diana Ariba (right), the mother of the victims being consoled by a neighbour at their home on March 5, 2024. PHOTO | BRIAN ADAMS KESIIME
What you need to know:
- Ms Dina Ariba, the mother of the victims, says she was in bed and heard Kasozi making an alarm, claiming that thieves had attacked them and killed their children
Police in Mityana District are holding a father who hacked three of his biological children leaving one dead.
Sulaiman Kasozi, 40, a resident of Kikuutanfufu in Mityana District reportedly did the heinous act on Monday night around 2:00am when the victims were asleep.
The victims include; Edie Bukenya, 11 who died on spot, Sulaiman Kasozi Junior, 9, and Hamdani Muwonge, 5, both currently nursing stab wounds.
Ms Dina Ariba, the mother of the victims, says she was in bed and heard Kasozi making an alarm, claiming that thieves had attacked them.
“He [husband] shouted saying that thieves had entered our house, killed the children and ran away. This forced me to get out of my bedroom to see what was happening, I saw my husband holding a machete which he had just washed. He looked possessed and at the same time puzzled,” she said.
She added: “He tried to prevent me from entering the children's bedroom, claiming they had all been killed by attackers. I forced myself into the room only to find Bukenya dead and the other two lying in a pool of blood crying for help.”
Ariba says she made an alarm which attracted neighbours and rushed the victims to Gombe General Hospital.
The deceased’s body was also conveyed to the same hospital mortuary for postmortem.
Local leaders handed over Kasozi to Kibibi Police Station to save him from a mob that had threatened to lynch him.
Ariba revealed that her husband had accumulated debts and that their matrimonial house was on the verge of being taken by moneylenders.
“It is possible that he [Kasozi] hacked the children to draw sympathy from the creditors. He had borrowed Shs1 million from money lenders using the house as collateral, but the loan had multiplied to Shs3 million which he could not raise,” she said.
Wamala Regional Police Spokesperson Racheal Kawala said the suspect will soon be handed over to Mityana Central Police Station where the case will be handled.
According to the 2023 Police Crime Report, a total of 257 cases of murder by hacking were recorded in the past year representing 15 per cent increase compared to 215 cases in 2022.
