The Ugandan police has arrested a man, Muhammad Meddie Magezi who was alleged to have killed his wife and 5-year-old son and set their body on fire.
Police investigations into the death of a 33-year-old Bushirah Zaina Baguwemu and her son Muhammad Magezi Junior, in the fire that destroyed an apartment in Masaka City, showed that the victim’s husband was responsible for the fire.
Mother and son was said to have died on March 20, 2021 after fire broke out in their rented apartment on a four-storied building located along Herbert Street, Bata Cell in Masaka City.
Mr Muhammad Nsubuga, the southern region police spokesperson, who confirmed the arrest disclosed that Muhammad Magezi Senior set the apartment on fire after killing his wife and son following a bitter argument.
According to police, by the time the couple’s two-bedroomed apartment went into flames, there were four people inside the house; the deceased, Magezi senior and his daughter-in-law who survived unhurt.
Nsubuga said their preliminary investigations indicate that Magezi killed his wife and son before he set the apartment on fire to cover up the crime.
“We have received intelligence information that the couple had misunderstandings for a long time prior to the weekend fire incident. We have arrested the husband on charges of murder and his file has been taken to the Director Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal guidance before he is arraigned in court,” Mr Nsubuga said on Thursday.
“The catalyst for this alleged murder was the wife’s discovery that the husband had an affair with his daughter-in-law at the time she was on Kyeyo in Saudi Arabia. The [couple] used to fight at night and it is unfortunate that such a disagreement ended the life of the wife and son,” one of the neighbours who pleaded anonymity told reporters.
