Ugandan Police in Luweero Town Council have arrested a Reverend over the gruesome killing of his wife.
The suspect is currently in custody at Luweero Police Station.
Deborah Ssekibaala, a mother of four children, was a Primary School headteacher.
The incident happened at the couple’s matrimonial home in Kavule on Tuesday morning.
Neighbours say the killing of Ssekibaala is the climax of a long unresolved domestic conflict.
Ms Maureen Jane Nambalirwa, a resident, said the suspect at about 1am on Monday knocked at their door claiming his wife had been killed by a bomb at their home and was seeking help.
“When I looked through the window, I saw the reverend walking in the opposite direction possibly because we did not immediately respond to his urgent call for help. We later opened the door and residents converged at the reverend’s home.
“Indeed, Ssekibaala, a dear friend to my family had breathed her last. We failed to come to terms with his explanations about death. The deceased had some bodily burns,” Ms Nambalirwa said.
Luweero District Police Commander Abraham Tukundane confirmed the reverend’s arrest.
A police detective, who preferred anonymity, told Daily Monitor that police arrived at the crime scene at 2am on Monday and took the body for postmortem.
“We are still gathering more evidence through interviews. The body is at Luweero hospital mortuary,” the detective said.
Mr Wilson Mukiibi, the Kavule Village chairperson, described the incident as shocking. He said he was woken up by residents, who reported that Ms Ssekibaala had died and that the cause was not yet known.
“When I alerted police, we quickly went to the home where we found the suspect putting on a pair of shorts and a shirt. He quickly led us inside the house. We found the body lying with the face upside down. Police came in and took away the body.
“We have heard about the unresolved differences involving the deceased and her husband, but the matters were never brought to the attention of the village leadership,” Mr Mukiibi said.
Residents claim that while the deceased was a devoted member of the Mothers’ Union fellowship at St Mark Cathedral in Luweero Town Council, the suspect had reportedly opened up a bar where he sold alcohol just next to his house.
“People could come and drink at the local bar next to the family garage. We failed to know what happened to the man of God who had not officially denounced the title of reverend. The police should dig deeper into the conduct of the suspect. Even the Church owes us an explanation why they have remained silent without excommunicating the reverend who deviated from the Church of Uganda doctrine.
We the neighbours have a different story that depicts a clergy who could have possibly left the Church and was on his own,” Mr Peterson Ssembatya, a resident said.
Ms Perus Nabayengo, another resident, said while the deceased remained at their matrimonial home, the family was deeply divided.
“Ms Ssekibaala struggled to pay school fees for her children in expensive schools, but the children always sided with their father. She had her own meals and never shared meals with both her husband and children. The children were siding with their father although their mother paid the school fees. The family lacked a uniting factor except for the house where they have been sleeping,” Ms Nabayengo said
