Body of missing Mbarara Hospital midwife found in River Rwizi
Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital nurses march on September 10, 2024 in a protest demanding an inquiry into the death of their colleague, whose body was found in River Rwizi. PHOTO/JOVITA KYARISIIMA
What you need to know:
- Police have four people in their custody, including the husband of the deceased as key suspect.
- Judith Kyarisiima had been working at Mbarara Hospital since 1997.
Police on Tuesday recovered the body of the Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH) health worker who went missing on September 2.
Security officers started the search for the 50-year-old senior mid-wife on September 3, after receiving reports from her husband that she disappeared the previous day.
Judith Kyarisiima had been working in MRRH’s Department of Maternal and Child Health.
“It was September 1 in the morning when my wife Kyarisiima left home heading to the hospital for treatment. I did not see her again and I reported to Katete Police,” Justus Nkwasibwe previously told Monitor.
On Tuesday, locals and police found her body in River Rwizi.
“Her body was found on the Lugazi side and it taken to MRRH mortuary for postmortem to determine whether it was a murder or suicide,” said Samson Kasasira, the Rwizi Region police spokesperson.
Judith Kyarisiima, whose body was found in River Rwizi on September 10, 2024. PHOTO/JOVITA KYARISIIMA
Kasasira revealed that police have four people in their custody, including the husband of the deceased as key suspect.
“We are yet to find evidence that puts them on the scene of crime but as of now we are still investigating,” he added.
MRRH Public Relations Officer Halson Kagure revealed that the deceased had worked with the hospital since 1997 as a midwife in charge of maternal and child health.
“She was last seen at the hospital on August 28, but the husband came on September 2, asking for our assistance to search for the deceased,” he noted.
Sharon Atuhaire, the national representative of nurses and midwives at MRRH described Kyarisiima’s death as “saddening.”
“She has been a senior midwife who mentored us, was a God-fearing patient counselor, and a team player,” Atuhaire said, highlighting that the deceased disappeared a day to the end of her annual leave.
Mary Kankunda, the district representative of MRRH workers observed that Kyarisiima “brought many lives to the world due to the nature of her work as a midwife and has left a big gap at the facility.”
“At the time of her death, she was contesting for the presidential position for nurses and midwives at the National level,” she told Monitor.
Meantime, Kasasira informed journalists that police have registered four cases of drowning in River Rwizi and two similar fatalities in valley dams in Kiruhura District and Mbarara City since January.
