Father Arrested for Stabbing Children Due to Accumulate Debts

A father in Mityana District, Uganda, is held for hacking his three children, resulting in one fatality, amid financial woes and mounting debts, reflecting a grim surge in murder cases by hacking, as per the 2023 Police Crime Report.

In Mityana District, police have detained a father accused of attacking his three biological children, resulting in one fatality.

Sulaiman Kasozi, a 40-year-old resident of Kikuutanfufu in Mityana District, reportedly committed the gruesome act late Monday night while his victims were asleep.

The victims, including 11-year-old Edie Bukenya, who died instantly, and Sulaiman Kasozi Junior, 9, and Hamdani Muwonge, 5, who sustained stab wounds, are currently receiving medical care.

Dina Ariba, the mother of the children, recounted the horrifying incident, stating that Kasozi raised an alarm, claiming that thieves had invaded their home and attacked the children.

Upon investigating, Ariba discovered Kasozi holding a machete, which he had recently cleaned, and noticed his perplexed demeanor.

She insisted on entering the children’s bedroom, where she found Bukenya deceased and the other two children injured and crying out for help.

Ariba alerted neighbors and rushed the victims to Gombe General Hospital while the deceased’s body was taken to the hospital mortuary for postmortem examination.

Local leaders intervened to prevent a mob from lynching Kasozi and handed him over to Kibibi Police Station.

Ariba disclosed that her husband was burdened with debts, and their matrimonial home was at risk of repossession by creditors.

She speculated that Kasozi may have attacked the children to elicit sympathy from creditors, as he had borrowed one million shillings using their home as collateral, but the debt had escalated to three million shillings.

Wamala Regional Police Spokesperson Racheal Kawala confirmed that the suspect would be transferred to Mityana Central Police Station for further investigation.

The 2023 Police Crime Report documented 257 cases of murder by hacking, marking a 15 percent increase compared to 2022’s 215 cases.