A somber atmosphere engulfed Kibandaya village in Bundibugyo District, western Uganda, on a Thursday morning when a tragic incident unfolded, leaving the community in mourning. The incident involved a 30-year-old man named Kule Muthokwa, who, wielding a machete, allegedly took the life of his 22-year-old brother, Jackson Thembo, in a dispute over Shs4,000.
The genesis of the fatal confrontation lay in Muthokwa’s accusation that Thembo had stolen his savings. The local village chairperson, Timothy Kighoma, narrated the heart-wrenching details of the incident, revealing that the grieving community, seeking justice for Thembo, turned against Muthokwa, leading to a tragic cycle of violence that claimed both brothers’ lives. The village chairperson disclosed that local police intervened to assess the situation, eventually permitting the family to bury the two siblings.
In the aftermath of the altercation, Muthokwa fled into a nearby bush, but a vengeful mob pursued and fatally beat him. The community, grappling with the shock of losing two lives in one day, laid the brothers to rest following clearance from the police, who documented the crime scene for further investigations.
Expressing concern over the incident, Charles Baluku, the Kaghughu parish councilor, strongly condemned the resort to mob justice and implored community members to uphold the rule of law. He urged them to reject violence as a means of addressing criminal acts. While acknowledging the tragedy, Baluku suggested the possibility that Muthokwa’s actions might have been influenced by drug use, emphasizing the destructive consequences of such substances.
