Police in Bududa District in eastern Uganda are holding a 22-year-old woman on murder charges after she allegedly hacked her two sons to death.
The suspect, a resident of Bukibumbi village, Bukalasi Sub County allegedly used a machete to kill Junior Mushikoma, 6, and Emma Kuloba, 5, on Wednesday night. 

“The suspect, a housewife to Mr Isaac Khatiya, a peasant, cut to death her biological son Junior Mushikoma and step-son Emma Kuloba,” the Elgon regional Police spokesperson, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rogers Taitika said on Thursday. 

According to police preliminary findings, the suspect on the fateful night asked her husband to escort her “to the toilet [which is metres away from their house] to ease herself, which he did. After her turn, he also entered the toilet. In the process, the wife rushed back to the house, picked a machete and cut the two children. When Mr Khatiya returned to the house, he said he was shocked to find both children crying and bleeding profusely. The wife was nowhere to be seen.”  

Mr Taitika said the suspect cut the children several times on the heads, causing severe injuries that led to their death as a result of over bleeding. 

Mr Khatiya reportedly made an alarm which attracted neighbors before the victims were rushed to Bukalasi Health center III where they were pronounced dead on arrival. Police visited the scene and recovered the machete that was used in the murder.

The suspect who is currently in police custody at Bududa Central police station was intercepted and apprehended while trying to cross to Mt Elgon Forest, according to police.

“The motive is being investigated but we want to ask couples and the entire public to always open up whenever they are facing challenges, instead of resorting to criminal tendencies thus claiming innocent lives. We are working on the file to have the suspect produced in court on murder charges,” he said.  

Mr Moses Nabukanda, the LCII chairperson Bukibumbi Parish, described the gruesome murder as regrettable.
“This is a regrettable incident, especially at this time when the year is just beginning. We request police to investigate the matter and bring the suspect to book,”Mr Nabukanda said. By Yahudu Kitunzi, Daily Monitor