Rukungiri, Uganda | Police in Rukungiri District have launched a serious manhunt for a housemaid identified only as Constance, who is suspected of killing her 81-year-old employer, Kedress Kashillingi alias Muserebende, following a domestic disagreement.
The tragic incident occurred on the morning of Sunday, May 11, 2025, at Nyakabare village, Central Division in Kebisoni Town Council.
Investigations revealed that the suspect had been employed by Kashillingi for less than a week. She had reportedly been picked from Kebisoni Trading Center on May 5, 2025, by the deceased while looking for domestic work.
Catherine Natukunda, the granddaughter of the deceased, who resided in the same house, informed police that a disagreement between her grandmother and the housemaid had broken out at around 7:15 AM.
She said the quarrel was over a mopping rag. According to her account, she left home shortly after the altercation to purchase items at the trading center and instructed her young son, Brighon Tumusiime, to fetch water.
Later, her son returned and informed her that his great-grandmother was lying motionless in her bedroom. Upon rushing back, Natukunda said she found Kashillingi already dead, her head wrapped in a cloth, with visible injuries. The housemaid, she added, had already fled the home.
Police were alerted, and a homicide investigation was immediately opened. Elly Maate, the Kigezi Region Police spokesperson, confirmed that bloodstains were found at the scene, and a hoe suspected to have been used in the murder was recovered from inside the house.
Maate noted that preliminary findings suggested Constance had used the hoe to hit the victim on the head and then escaped.
He said police had launched a full-scale manhunt and were committed to apprehending the suspect and ensuring she faces justice.
The deceased’s body was taken to Rwakabengo Health Centre III for a postmortem examination to support further investigations.
Security officials have appealed to the public, particularly residents in and around Kebisoni and neighbouring areas, to report any information that could assist in locating the fugitive.
The brutal killing has left residents of Nyakabare village in deep shock and sorrow, as they mourn the loss of a respected elder over what appears to have been a minor domestic dispute.
