Five People Critically Injured In Machete Attack At Disco Celebration

By Mukidi Hannington

Kikuube: Three victims of a machete attack by a group at a disco celebrating an introduction ceremony have been sent to Hoima Regional Referral Hospital in severe condition.

Ivan Bikandema, Habib Taremwa, and Lawrence Byaruhanga, all residents of Bujungu village in Bugambe sub-county in Kikuube district, were among the five people who went to the disco in Kiyora village in Bugambe sub-county. Two additional victims of the attack were taken to Kikuube Health Centre IV in Kikuube district with multiple cuts on their bodies.

The incident took place on Sunday morning at around 2:00 am, according to Innocent Ahimbisibwe, the chairperson of Kiyora village, after a group of Kiyora youth began battling the group from Bujungu village.

Ahimbisibwe observed that the Bujungu victims had travelled to Kiyora for a disco to mark the daughter of the late Patrick Karezi’s customary inauguration.

He claimed that they believe the brawl was started by young people vying for the attention of the party’s female guests. The party had drawn a sizable number of youth from villages including Kiyora, Bujungu, Kyambara, and Rwesambya among others. The introduction ceremony went smoothly during the day since I attended and left at around 9:00 pm, and before I left, I warned the youth against using violence.

But at around two in the morning, Generous Tukahirwa, Karezi’s widow, called and surprised me by informing me that some guests had been slashed at the party.

He stated, “I tried to call the Police to intercede but their phones were off. It was night, so I scared to go there, fearing for my life.

Ahimbisibwe recalled that when he arrived at the location on Sunday morning at around 6:00 am, he saw two unconscious victims along the roadside and the third victim at the residence of the late Karezi.

He stated that while several of the patients had serious injuries to their faces, backs, and necks, the two had significant cuts on their legs and arms.

The other victims, according to Ahimbisibwe, were brought to Kikuube Health Centre IV in the Kikuube district, where they are still receiving care.

Habib Taremwa’s father, Zubair Ngombange, claimed that his son’s leg and arm were left hanging by the flesh and that he wasn’t sure if he would survive.

Ngombange, who talked with The New Light Paper at Hoima Regional Referral Hospital, said his son had been attacked around 200 metres from the party location and had been found laying in a pool of blood by the side of the road.

Lawrence Byaruhanga’s uncle Kiiza Baka claimed that his leg was similarly left hanging by the skin. Police spokesperson for the Albertine region, Julius Hakiiza, confirmed the event and stated that police have opened investigations and are looking for those responsible for the attack.

In the past month, there have been two instances of violence at introduction ceremonies in the Kikuube district. The first incident took place in Kipongo hamlet in the Buhimba sub-county, where police officers shot and injured three persons while purportedly trying to break up a dispute amongst adolescents.

Three police officers—Harod Mwesigwa of the OC Kinogozi Police Post, Nuriat Nakigozi, and Denis Alinaitwe—were detained as a result of the incident. Carpenter Joel Mugume, 24, a tailor named Violet Katusabe, and carpenter Julius Tugume, 40, all of Kipogo, were hurt in the altercation and are still being treated there as of this writing.