A man suspected to be suffering from mental illness has been arrested in Kyankwanzi District for allegedly beating his mother and brother to death.
The suspect, 30-year-old Ronald Ssemanda, a resident of Bukekete Village in Makulubita Sub-county, Luwero District, is accused of killing his mother, 46-year-old Sylvia Namaganda, and his brother, 24-year-old Robert Ssenyonga, who were both residents of the same village.
According to Racheal Kawala, the Wamala Region Police spokesperson, Ssemanda’s family had earlier taken him to the home of Reverend David Ssejjemba, a parish priest at Nakandura Church of Uganda in Kiyuni Village, Kyankwanzi District, back in June. The family sought the priest’s assistance for deliverance prayers, hoping to heal Ssemanda from his long-standing mental illness.
On Monday at around 8:20 p.m., Ssemanda allegedly attacked his brother with a large cassava stem, fatally striking him on the head. He then turned the same weapon on his mother, attacking her in a similar manner.
“The brother died on the spot, while the mother succumbed to her injuries upon arrival at a nearby clinic,” Kawala stated.
Police officers responded to the scene and transported the bodies to Ntwetwe Health Centre IV for postmortem examinations. The cassava stem used in the attack was collected as evidence.
Kawala confirmed that Ssemanda is currently in custody at Kyankwanzi Police Station. As part of the ongoing murder investigation, he will undergo a medical examination to determine the state of his mental health.
