KAMPALA: Kabalagala Police has launched a manhunt for Richard Waligo for allegedly pouring boiling beans on his wife, on Sunday, March 6, 2022, in Makindye division, a Kampala city suburb.
The suspect was said to have poured boiling beans on his wife Estah Namwasa, a mother of five, and bolted, following accusations of infidelity.
Confirming the incident, Namwasa who is currently nursing third-degree burns on her back, legs and arms, at Good Care Clinic in Nsambya, told URN the Kampala Report news partner agency that on Saturday night, March 5, 2022, she confronted her husband for being irresponsible and failing to cater for their children. This, she said, angered Waligo, who in return accused her of having affairs outside their marriage.
“We fought that night, but I was used to that because we could fight countless times in the past,” Namwasa said. “He is a jealous man who accuses me of affairs with every person who comes close to me, the local council authorities have severally cautioned him but he never changed,” Namwasa the victim narrated.
On the day following the night fight, Namwasa said her husband visited her restaurant, where he found two male customers who were playing cards. In a fit of anger, Waligo started another fight in which he lifted a saucepan of boiling beans from the fire and poured them at Namwasa from the back.
After the unfortunate event, the victim who was in a bad condition was assisted by the area locals who rushed her to the nearby clinic. She says after burning her, the husband took off with her mobile telephone and the money she had saved during the day.
Her neighbor Christine Dongo, who is her caregiver, said Namwasa’s husband was heard claiming that he was tired of taking care of children he hadn’t fathered.
Badirul Mbabali the area chairperson, who condemned the act of attempted murder, said there is a rise in cases of domestic violence mostly in slum areas of Kampala.
The victim who is being assisted by neighbors is calling on Good Samaritan to come to her rescue for better medical treatment.
Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police spokesperson, said the case is under investigation by Kabalagala Police station and the hunt for the suspect is ongoing, for him to face charges of aggravated assault once apprehended.
According to the 2020 crime report compiled by the Criminal Investigations Directorate-CID, domestic violence was registered as the third most committed crime with 17,664 cases compared to 13,639 cases in 2019. These cases were mainly caused by disputes over family property, failure to provide for the family, drugs and alcohol abuse, and cases of infidelity.