Kagadi massacre: how ten family members died in a fight over religion

Several other people, including neighbors, who responded to the alarm were injured. The attack took place about three kilometers from the Muzizi trading center.

At the scene, Daily Monitor found three houses, two of which belonged to the men who allegedly killed their parents, wives and children, while the third belonged to their father.

The village chairman, Mr Richard Mwanamolho, said they heard an alarm from Yokononia Isakara’s house at around 9pm on Tuesday.

He said they went to the house along with other villagers from the Muzizi Trade Center.

However, they were confronted by Obed Baguma, 33, and David Munyirambe, 36, who were armed with machetes and denied them entry to the area.

According to Mr Mwanamolho, the two men began throwing stones, forcing the group, which included police officers, to retreat. On the way, he said, they discovered the body of Boniface Rogers Nyirambe with multiple cuts in the nearby bush.

He explained that Nyirambe, who lived a short distance from his father’s house, was hacked to death when he responded to the alarm.

He said their initial focus was on rescuing the injured and getting them to a health facility, but they were unaware of the fatalities inside the house.

“After they chased us with stones, we called the Kagadi DPC (district police commander) for reinforcements. In the morning (yesterday) we were joined by UPDF and went to Yokononia’s house. Before we could get there, we encountered the two suspects again but this time we had the UPDF,” Mr Mwanamolho said.

He added: “When the army tried to approach, the suspects threatened them with pangas, leading to a confrontation in which both suspects were shot and died on the spot.”

Upon reaching the suspects’ houses, the group was confronted with a pool of blood flowing from there. Inside they discovered seven bodies, including those of Yokononia Isakara, 76, and his wife Norah Kabuwere, 64, and several of their grandchildren.

Mr Jessy Masereka, a son of Isakara, said he survived because his house is some distance away.

He said he learned of the tragic events when some of the injured victims contacted him that night and informed him that his brothers had attacked them.

“I was at home when the neighbors, a man and his wife, both with serious head wounds, came to me. They told me that my two brothers had injured them while trying to respond to the alarm. I and others took them to the nearby health center for treatment,” Mr Masereka explained.

Mr Masereka said for many years his relatives subscribed to the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) faith, whose church was located in Muzizi village.

However, about five years ago, his brothers, Baguma and Munyirambe, clashed with church leaders, accusing them of spreading false teachings.

He explained that the two began openly confronting church leaders and followers, forcing church leaders to file a police report. They were eventually arrested and sent to prison in Kagadi, but were later released.

“After we were released, we thought they had changed. Instead, they continued to oppose our religion and decided to start their own, even though they had no followers. They kept their meetings private and pressured us to participate, but we all refused,” Mr Masereka said.

The village chairman, Mr Mwanamolho, confirmed that he had received numerous complaints from family members that he had been forced to join the brothers’ sect. He said he had informed security authorities but no serious action had been taken.

At the brothers’ house, Mr Mwanamolho said, they had set up tree stumps as symbols of worship. These were seized by security personnel yesterday.

In addition, they had a flag with two colors – yellow and blue – with the words God, Holy Spirit, Son, Man, Man. Mwanamolho believes this may have been the name of their sect.

“What I don’t agree with is that everyone can start their own religion. Some are scammers and lead people astray. We need to regulate these places of worship,” Mwanamolho said.

He added: “The court and police have also failed us. How can someone be arrested and then released when we, village leaders, had advised him not to return to our community? Even if no one pursued the case in court, we had evidence. Such people should have stayed in prison.”

Mr Abel Kule, Isakara’s younger brother, said the two sons had threatened to kill their father and other relatives for refusing to join their sect and cooperate with police, leading to their earlier arrest.

He said both sons went to Bundibugyo district about a year ago and got married. However, when their wives came to Kagadi, they too refused to join the sect and subsequently divorced. Since then, the two have lived alone in their homes.

“These children not only threatened to kill their parents, but also behaved in a way that shocked the family. For example, they bought a whole goat, slaughtered it and ate it all by themselves, without even offering a kilo to their father,” Kule said.

Albertine Regional Police spokesperson Julius Hakiza said they were investigating the incident together with sister security services.

“We appeal to the public to come forward with any information regarding this incident. Your cooperation is crucial to bring those responsible to justice,” he said.

At the time of writing, UPDF soldiers were guarding the entire village while the injured were admitted to various health facilities in Kagadi.

The deceased have been identified as Boniface Rogers Nyirambe; Jokononia Isakara, 76; Norah Kabuwere, 64; Price Muhindo; Anita Kabugho, 44; Masika Kabagenyi, 3; Ferdinand Baluku, 13; Olive Kabugo, 13; Obedi Baguma and David Munyirambe, 36. The injured include Rodgers Bwambale, Joy Bambu, Christine Biira, Deborah Kyakimwa, Julius Omuge, Elimusi Mukadelwa, Biira Birungi and one Kambale