Security beefed up in Mubende after machete attacks leave three dead, five injured

Security has been beefed up in Kitenga Sub-county, Mubende District, following machete attacks that left three people dead and five others injured, sparking fear among residents.

Mubende Resident District Commissioner Beatrice Katsigazi said security personnel have established bases in the area to respond to threats and apprehend suspected attackers.

Residents say they have been spending sleepless nights as questions emerge over the motive behind the attacks, with assailants reportedly killing victims without taking some valuables from their homes.

Dennis Baraka, a resident of Kitenga and Kayebe Parish chief, said the attackers reportedly entered homes without breaking down doors, hacked their victims and left without taking money and other valuables.

He cited the attack on Deus Niwamanya and his wife, Kihembo, who remain in critical condition in hospital. Baraka said the assailants reportedly hacked the couple despite finding money and bags of coffee in their house.

According to him, the attackers left the money and coffee but took a motorcycle, which they allegedly used to escape.

Baraka also questioned the killing of an elderly man who had been suffering from cancer and was bedridden. He said the man lived in a dilapidated house with virtually nothing of value, raising further questions about the motive behind the attacks.

He expressed concern that the killings could be intended to create unrest in the community, although investigations are needed to establish the motive.

Residents' fears have been compounded by reports that another man was killed and his body dumped at a mosque.

The deceased's mother, Fiona Batambuliza, expressed distress over what she described as a delay by police in retrieving her son's body, saying she feared it was being exposed to rain as the family waited to bury him.

Daily Monitor UG​