Prime
Woman burns self at Busia Church
Police detectives stand around a hut at a local church in Masaba village, Masaba sub county where a woman allegedly burnt herself. PHOTO/DAVID AWORI.
What you need to know:
- Mr Clement Ojambo, one of the Pastors at the Church, said he was not aware that the deceased had been left alone in the hut.
Police in Busia District are investigating a suspected case of self-immolation after a woman burnt herself to death at a local Church in Masaba Village, Masaba sub-county on Friday night.
The woman identified as Ms Grace Kyokusaba died in a hut fire at Christ Disciple Church, according to Mr Patrick Makhoha, the Mudondo Village LC1 chairperson.
“I woke up from my house located near the Church, only to see the hut on fire and ran over to rescue the deceased but it was late,” Mr Makhoha, who sustained burns on the hands and shoulders as he attempted to rescue the woman, said.
The deceased is said to have been brought to the local Church early this month by her father, Mr John Abayo, after she reportedly developed some mental illness.
According to the father, the deceased was working as a security guard in Kampala but developed some mental disorders, prompting him to bring her to the local Church to be prayed for as he raises enough money to take her for specialized treatment.
“I brought her (the deceased) to this Church to be prayed for as I look for money to take her for treatment; but unfortunately, she died in a hut fire,” Mr Abayo said.
It has been established that the deceased was sleeping alone in the hut when she got burnt; but it is not clear if she set the hut on fire in an act of self-immolation because of her purported irrational mental status.
However, Mr Moses Maloba, who led a team of detectives to the scene of crime, told crest-fallen residents that police would investigate a case of negligence and arson.
“As police, we are interested in knowing under which circumstances a person who was said to be mentally ill was left alone in a Church and whether this was a case of arson or the fire was sparked off by the deceased,” Mr Maloba said.
Mr Clement Ojambo, one of the Pastors at the Church, said he was not aware that the deceased had been left alone in the hut. “Her father has been taking care of her and as a Church, we were not aware that she had been left alone inside (the hut),” he said.
