Seven family members die in two house fires in Busoga

Police in the Busoga Sub-region are investigating the cause of a fire that engulfed homes in the Namutumba and Bugiri districts on the morning of October 8, resulting in the deaths of seven family members.

In Namutumba District, a fire consumed a grass-thatched house in Buyoboya-Kibale Village, Mpumiro Parish, Bulange Sub-county around 3:15 am, killing Ezimaface Were Mukisa, 30, the head of the household, his wife Annet Namuyanga, 25, and their two daughters, Judith Babirye, 10, and Sylvia Bamukisa, 4.

The area LC1 Chairperson, Yakubu Kyakwise, received a call from a brother of the deceased, known only as Were, alerting him to the fire. 

“I rushed to the scene and found the house completely razed, with the family members burnt beyond recognition,” he said.

Earlier, neighbours noticed black smoke and flames billowing from the house and raised the alarm.

Barak Gampaire, a neighbour, stated that while the cause of the fire is still under investigation, unconfirmed reports suggest that unidentified assailants may have raided the home, locked the door from the outside, and then set the house on fire. 

“We are left speechless and urge the police to investigate the cause of the fire, especially since the family used solar energy for lighting,” he added.

James Tusubira, an elder brother of Mukisa, described him as a “humble, hardworking breadwinner who loved his family.” He noted that Mukisa had planned to begin constructing a permanent house this month. “He intended to visit a hardware shop in Namutumba town to buy iron sheets today, but it is tragic that everything in his home has been reduced to rubble, and we cannot find the money he had saved.”

Tusubira lamented, “I live about two miles away and wish I had built closer so I could have seen the flames and potentially saved their lives. Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, the entire house was gone, and all their belongings were burnt.”

Police from the Namutumba Central Police Station and Bulange Police Post had not yet issued a statement at the time of filing this story.  However, they took the bodies to Namutumba Health Centre III for postmortem examinations and appealed to the public for any information related to the incident.

In Bugiri District, three people were found dead following a house fire reportedly triggered by a burning mattress in Kinabirye Village, Busowa Town Council. The area LC1 Chairman, Simon Famba, identified the deceased as Rukia Kagoya and her two grandchildren.

“My village received devastating news this morning when three people were found dead inside their home, as a mattress caught fire. The fire only destroyed the mattress, leaving other property intact, as the trio suffocated,” Famba said. He speculated that Kagoya may have left a burning charcoal stove unattended, which spread to the mattress, but noted that investigations are ongoing.