Police in Ssembabule district are investigating circumstances under which a man strangled his estranged wife before also taking his own life.
The man, Ssekiranda Godfrey, a 27-year-old boda boda rider, accused his wife, Nalutaya Shakira, of taking his Shs2m, which he had given her to start a business, and later eloping with another man.
According to police, Ssekiranda sold his Kibanja in Kinyasi village, Kikoma parish in Ssembabule district, where he raised Ugx 2m, and gave to his wife to open up a business in Kampala.
“She however, abandoned the man and relocated her business to Nyendo Masaka. The suspect got in touch with her as lovers, and strangled her to death,” Police spokesman Fred Enanga said on Monday, 21 August 2023.
After the murder, the jilted lover, rode his boda boda up to his home village and committed suicide by hanging.
“A suicide note indicating that he used the same rope he strangled with his wife to death, to hang himself,” Enanga explained.
In total, there were 14,693 sex-related cases registered in 2022 compared to 16,373 the previous year, according to police. Domestic violence is the most common type of gender-based violence in Uganda and takes many forms, including femicide or killing of a woman because of her gender.
In a separate development, a 23-year-old male adult, identified as Bagumya Francis, also committed suicide by hanging on the 14.08.2023, at the CLO, 2nd floor, Kyambogo University, Nakawa division.
The victim was an employee of CK Associates Construction Company.
“According to a suicide note, the victim claims that he could not believe that he could reach 23 years, without getting rich and that his father never helped him but abandoned him,” Enanga said.
“It is devastating to commit suicide because of depression, frustration and anger. The circumstances that led to the acts of suicide, could have been prevented if the victim got help in form of counselling from counsellors or other support groups,” he added.