Saturday, April 12, 2025 - Ugandan police have arrested a mother of five and wife of a diplomat, Mutesi Joline, over the alleged m8rder of her two-year-old son, Nganwa Rugari, in Kampala.
The child, who resided with his family in Mutungo Zone 8,
reportedly d!ed under unclear circumstances following an alleged fall from the
first floor of their family home on the night of April 1, 2025, at
approximately 8:30 p.m.
The tragic incident follows a court-ordered DNA test for all
five children as part of the ongoing divorce proceedings between Mutesi and her
husband, Chris Rugari, Zimbabwe's Consular General in Uganda.
Reports suggest that Mutesi, 40, was aware that some of the
children might not be her husband’s biological children.
Shortly before Nganwa tragically passed away, he and his
12-month-old sister were scheduled to undergo DNA testing as part of the
divorce process.
Chris Rugari had previously claimed that at least three of
the children were not biologically his.
Following the child’s death, Mutesi reportedly began
contacting relatives, urging them to quickly remove the body from the hospital
and take it to a funeral home.
Relatives noted that she seemed unusually focused on burial
arrangements, even within minutes of the child’s fall from the apartment.
"She was calling people, urging them to come quickly
and help move the body," said one family member.
"It was as if she didn’t want anyone else to
intervene."
However, Rugari’s family insisted on waiting for police
involvement before the body could be removed, leading to Mutesi's arrest.
Rugari has accused his wife of engaging in extramarital
affairs while he was away on diplomatic duties.
Meanwhile, Diplomat Rugari has dismissed as fabricated,
accounts being circulated by his estranged wife and her sympathizers that he
asked her “to remove her uterus after the birth of their first son and that
when, the wife refused, Chris Rugari allowed her to have children with other
men since for him, he only wanted one child among other fabrications.”
Mr. Rugari strongly refuted such narrative, insisting that
those behind it need to be subjected to a sobriety test.
He confirmed reports of a DNA dispute, revealing that tests
had shown two of his three eldest children were not his biological offspring,
which he said was the source of the family misunderstanding which he only
learnt of in late 2023.
Kampala Metropolitan Police, spokesman Patrick Onyango said
the police had opened a criminal investigation and detained Ms Kanoheri to help
with the inquiry after her account was found inconsistent.
According to Onyango, Mutesi contacted an ambulance service
shortly after the alleged fall. The child was taken to Kitintale Hospital,
arriving around 10:00 p.m.
“The doctor on duty examined the child and noted that he was
conscious and showed no alarming symptoms. Painkillers were administered, and a
CT scan was recommended. However, the child was not admitted,” Onyango
stated.
Tragically, at approximately 5:00 a.m. the following
morning, Mutesi returned to the hospital with Nganwa, who was pronounced dead
on arrival.
Police were promptly notified, and a death inquiry file was
opened. Detectives visited the family residence in Mutungo to inspect the scene
of the reported fall.
"During this investigation, significant discrepancies
emerged. Our team noted that the window from which the child was said to have
fallen had no burglar bars, was shut, and its lock was intact. Furthermore, a
post-mortem examination conducted at the KCCA mortuary in Mulago revealed no
visible physical injuries on the child’s body,” SSP Onyango added.
The inconsistencies in
the mother’s account and the lack of physical evidence supporting a fall led to
the arrest of Joline Mutesi, who is currently in custody to assist with the
ongoing investigation.
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