Residents of Kakabano and Piida villages in Upper Bugongi Ward, Northern Division of Kabale Municipality, woke up in grief and shock on Wednesday morning after a well-known cobbler was found murdered and dumped by the roadside. The deceased, only identified as Nsenga and believed to be in his 40s, was a resident of Piida village. His lifeless body was discovered around 8:00 a.m. by passersby near the road connecting Kakabano to Piida village.
According to area residents William Mutabaazi and Emmanuel Niwagaba Eichumu, the body was found with deep cuts on the head, suggesting he had been attacked and killed by unknown assailants for reasons yet to be established. They noted that this is the second such murder in the area in less than a month.
“This is a very unfortunate incident. We are living in fear now,” said Mutabaazi. “We urge security agencies to deploy all efforts to trace and apprehend the perpetrators.” Niwagaba echoed similar concerns and called on authorities to tighten security in the area. Another resident, Moses Arinda, proposed the resumption of community night patrols, citing the increasing number of suspected criminals loitering in the area at night and waylaying unsuspecting residents.
Sheikh Kassim Kamugisha, the Wakiso Deputy Resident District Commissioner and an uncle to the deceased, described the murder as “unprovoked and tragic.” He said Nsenga was known as a humble man who spent his time quietly working as a cobbler opposite Ebenezer Christian Nursery and Primary School. “This is very uncalled for. My nephew was never in trouble with anyone. He just minded his work,” Sheikh Kamugisha said. By press time, police had transported the body to Kabale Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem as investigations continued.