Ten machete-wielding individuals created chaos in Nabusugwe Village, Goma Division, Mukono District on October 8, 2023, as a result of a dispute over land. The conflict revolves around a property demarcation disagreement between Ms. Margret Nakintu and Dora Kyasiimire, both local residents.
According to Ms. Nakintu, she claimed that Ms. Kyasiimire allegedly hired around ten individuals, armed with either machetes or spades, to attack her. Ms. Nakintu narrowly escaped a potentially life-threatening attack, as one of the assailants swung a spade dangerously close to her head while she was entering her bathroom.
The incident also led to other casualties, as Ms. Josephine Namukwaya had her phone destroyed while recording the chaos, and Ms. Irene Nanyombi reported being physically assaulted by one of the attackers. Ms. Rosette Nanvuma, Ms. Nakintu’s daughter, stated that she was struck in the waist with a large stick during the altercation.
Ms. Nakintu sought assistance from both the police and the UPDF (Uganda People’s Defence Force), but faced delays in their response. The police received her call at approximately 9 am, and it took until around 1 pm for them to arrive at the scene. This prompted her to question where to seek help effectively.
A police officer, who preferred to remain anonymous, disputed Ms. Nakintu’s version of events, characterizing it as untrue. However, he acknowledged that they responded to a distress call regarding machete-wielding individuals causing disturbance due to the ongoing land dispute.
In addition to the violence, Ms. Rosette Nanvuma accused Ms. Kyasiimire of attempting unauthorized construction in an area where her family holds valid agreements to the contrary. She called upon the Mukono land office to intervene in resolving the dispute, as previous efforts to seek assistance from other authorities had proven unsuccessful.
Ms. Kyasiimire, who operates a hardware business in the vicinity, declined to comment on the matter while being escorted to Jinja Misindye Police Station. There were suspicions that some of the assailants had sought refuge inside her hardware shop. The police eventually forced her to open the shop, which she had locked for nearly three hours.
The attackers reportedly fled the scene on motorcycles before the arrival of law enforcement authorities. The situation escalated further as Ms. Kyasiimire was escorted to Jinja Misindye Police Station amidst gunshots fired into the air to disperse agitated residents.
