Residents of Kuturu Village, Bulatse Parish in Bufuma Sub-county, Bududa District, woke up to shock, panic, and grief after the body of a minor identified as Margaret Namasopo was found in a coffee plantation. Namasopo reportedly left home on Monday afternoon and was later seen in the neighborhood with Tongolo Tsapwe, a suspected criminal who had recently returned from prison.
She did not return home that day, leaving her parents searching for her throughout the night. Nicholas Mutsuli, the father of the deceased, says the family searched for their daughter until late Monday night but could not trace her whereabouts. He says they received information the following morning from a passerby who had reportedly seen Namasopo with Tongolo on Monday evening.
Mutsuli adds that they tried to locate Tongolo to inquire about their daughter’s whereabouts but could not find him until Wednesday morning, when a woman who had gone to her garden discovered Namasopo’s lifeless body in a nearby coffee plantation. Tongolo, who is suspected of having been involved in the killing, reportedly fled his home, and his whereabouts remain unknown.
Bufuma Sub-county LC3 Chairperson Nicholas Tongolo condemned the incident, describing it as one of the worst cases recorded in the area. He appealed for calm and urged residents not to take the law into their own hands, saying authorities are handling the matter. Laurence Kutosi, the LC1 Chairperson of Kuturu Village, said the incident had shocked the community, adding that such an incident had never happened in the area.
Jackson Makayi Nabwoya, the former Bufuma Sub-county LC3 Chairperson, said the last similar incident happened in the area in 1996 when he served as LC2 Chairperson of the then Bufuma Parish. Makayi suspects that the increasing use of opium in the area could be contributing to criminal behaviour and called on residents to report people involved in drug abuse.
He also appealed to authorities to expedite the establishment of a police station in Bufuma to strengthen security. Robert Wakwaale, the Bufuma Sub-county LC5 Councillor, said Tongolo had previously been arrested and imprisoned over allegations of defilement involving a girl of a similar age, which he said raised suspicion over his possible involvement in the latest incident.
He asked security agencies to intensify efforts to arrest the suspect. Bududa District Police Commander Barnabas Banyenzaki asked residents with information that could help in the investigation to share it with the police. He also warned residents against interfering with the crime scene, saying police would use a sniffer dog to help trace the suspect.
Bududa District LC5 Chairperson Geoffrey Natubu said district leaders would continue pushing until the suspect is arrested and brought to justice. He urged young people to engage in productive activities, including agriculture, instead of alcohol and drug abuse. However, tensions escalated after relatives and supporters of the deceased reportedly attacked the property of the suspect’s family, burning houses and destroying plantations. The body was taken to Bududa Hospital for a postmortem as police continued investigations-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
