Police are 22-year-old Alex Matovu, a casual laborer accused of killing the expectant wife of his boss over Shillings 240,000. Matovu was arrested in connection to the murder of Olivia Nantaba, a resident of Lwabaswa Landing Site Village in the Kalangala district on Thursday night.
The deceased was six months pregnant. Nantaba’s husband, Stephen Baraka Ndyamuhaki, says that Matovu is one of his casual laborers at his oil palm plantation and has been demanding him Shillings 240,000. He, however, says that the suspect stormed his home on Thursday night in his absence demanding his pay.
Ibrahim Wagaba, the Vice chairman of Lwabaswa Landing Site village, says that Nantaba told Matovu that her husband was away from home. “Nantaba’s sister who was also at home told residents that Matovu asked Nantaba to give him money without fail. He said Ndyamuhaki must have left the money with Nantaba but she did not want to hand it over to him. When Nantaba said her husband had not left the money with her, Matovu got angry,” he said.
According to Wagaba, Matovu lost his cool when Nantaba called him a muyaye, saying that “he had not worked for sometime at the oil palm plantation but was demanding payment.” In a fit of rage, Wagaba, says that Matovu picked a stick from the compound and hit Nantaba around the neck and other body parts. Matovu came with another casual worker who was demanding Shillings 150,000.
“Nantaba’s sister told us that this other worker pleaded with Matovu in vain to stop beating her. Nantaba’s sister ran to the nearest homestead, which was over 2 kilometers to ask for help,” he said. According to Wagaba, after Matovu hit Nantaba multiple times, she collapsed and died shortly after.
“Nantaba’s sister and other residents who had come to rescue her found the two men leaving, almost a kilometre away from her house. On interrogation, they revealed that they had hidden Nantaba’s body in the bush. Residents arrested Matovu while his co-worker fled the scene. But we shall find him,” he said.
On Friday Ndyamuhaki reported a case of murder at Kalangala Central Police Station reference KAL CRB 456/2022. James Mugoya Nandu, the Police Community Liason Officer in Kalangala, says investigations into Nantaba’s murder have commenced. He added that police officers have since taken Nantaba’s body to Kalangala Health Centre IV for the fetus to be removed and postmortem.
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