Police in Kanungu District have launched investigations into the murder of an 83-year-old man who was allegedly strangled to death by unknown assailants, while his son narrowly survived an attempted murder at their home in Butogota Town Council.
The deceased has been identified as Joseph Rwakaremera, a resident of Kebiremo Cell, Northern Ward in Butogota Town Council, Kanungu District. His son, Swaibu Rwebisengye, 18, sustained injuries during the attack.
According to police, the incident happened on Tuesday night, June 2, 2026, at around 8:30 pm while the father and son were at their home kitchen.
Outgoing Kigezi Region Police spokesperson, ASP Elly Maate, said three unidentified men armed with pangas reportedly stormed the home and attacked the pair.
“It is alleged that as the two were in the kitchen, three unknown men armed with pangas came. Two of them held the deceased and started strangling him, while the third grabbed the son, cut him on the forehead, pushed him under the bed and remained guarding him as the others strangled the deceased,” ASP Maate said.
Police said the attackers later fled the scene through a nearby coffee plantation after carrying out the attack.
Rwebisengye reportedly informed his brother, identified as Kayabuki, about the incident, who later reported the matter to Butogota Police Station.
ASP Maate said police officers visited and documented the scene of crime, while a police sniffer dog was introduced to aid investigations. However, the canine unit reportedly yielded little due to alleged interference at the crime scene.
“The scene of crime was examined and documented, but the sniffer dog could not do much because the scene had already been tampered with,” he noted.
The body of the deceased was later conveyed to Kanungu Health Centre IV for a postmortem examination.
Preliminary police findings indicate that the deceased had allegedly been experiencing long-standing domestic disputes involving some of his children and a first wife residing in Kanyantorogo, reportedly over a land conflict.
Police further revealed that in May 2026, the deceased was allegedly assaulted by some of his children and a grandson, a matter that had been reported to Kanyantorogo Police Station before the parties were reconciled.
ASP Maate confirmed that three children of the deceased and one grandson have since been arrested to assist police with investigations into the murder and attempted murder.
