In Bbale Village, Luweero District, the community and local authorities are grappling with the distressing news of two siblings who allegedly assaulted their 89-year-old mother to death over a disagreement related to the sale of land.
Reports of the incident indicate that the siblings were accompanied by two grandchildren in the act that took place on April 26.
The four individuals hurriedly took the victim, Yowanina Nalujja, to a clinic where she was declared dead on arrival. The police in Luweero have since detained them.
The four suspects have been arrested on charges of murder by assault. Initial investigations suggest that the four individuals assaulted the elderly woman to death while demanding the money she had obtained from selling a piece of land, stated Sam Twineamazima, the Savannah Regional police spokesperson.
He further mentioned that the authorities have moved the body to the City Mortuary in Kampala for an autopsy. Meanwhile, Edward Ssenyonga Tamukedde, the Bbale Village Local Council Secretary for Defense, disclosed to Monitor that the four suspects had previously lodged a complaint stating that the elderly woman had sold a plot of land without their consultation.
He expressed shock at the tragic news, noting that Nalujja was a peaceful elderly woman who had sold her property (land) just a few days ago. The unfortunate part is that they took matters into their own hands.
He added that the elderly woman was confined inside the house by the four women before she was assaulted. They demanded that she give them the money from the land sale. Information later emerged that they had taken the victim to John’s Clinic at Bbowa Village, where she collapsed. A police investigation is awaited.
A resident of Bbale Village, Helen Nabakooza, also mentioned that the deceased was under increasing pressure as some of her children demanded that she give up her land since she was of advanced age.
According to authorities, land-related disputes account for more than 80 per cent of the cases at the office of the Resident District Commissioners (RDC) in Luweero District. These land cases often involve family members who are unable to peacefully resolve conflicts, including suspected cases of land grabbing and illegal land transactions, as stated by the Luweero RDC, Richard Bwabye.F