Rwimi Prison Wardens Beat Casual Laborer To Death, Brutaise 4 Others

By Owen B Alton

Kasese: The body of late Sunday Thembo Mulibondo, a resident of Nyaseke East cell in Kitswamba town council who were beaten to death by Rwimi prison wardens has been laid to rest.

Late Mulibondo, and four injured people currently hospitalized, were renown casual laborers in maize plantations in Rwimi but were beaten after Rwimi Prison Wardens mistook them to be thieves and brutalized them.

Mr. Sunday Mulibondo was undressed and beaten into comma, and died immediately after being taken to a health facility.

Mr. Sunday Muhamudu,aged 36,one of the people who is hospitalized after the thorough beating said 0n 1st August 2023,they went to Rwimi prison to work in the fields of those who would thereafter give them money, but Prison Wardens seemed to have been suspicious of them yet they knew them as casual laborer’s.

He said, Wardens began shooting bullets as though they were hunting for some people.

“When we heard bullets, we hide in Sunflower gardens to shield ourselves from being shot. However, Prison Wardens hunted for us and called on Prisoners to come and pick us and whip us 100 canes each”, said Muhamudu.

Muhamudu added that they were undressed, left naked and whipped seriously, warning to bring more Prison Wardens to also add them 100 more canes.

Muhamudu said one of the casual labourers was severely beaten and ended up defecating but was forced to smear himself with human excrete.

“helpless,the man crawled to the river to clean himself”.

Our Reporter has understood that one of the labourers who was beaten was a pregnant woman,but her names were not established during press time.

Joshua Masereka Kisembo, the Resident District Commissioner for Bunyangabu condemned the incident that occurred yesterday, wondering how a government defender of the law breaks it.

Joshua revealed that they have arrested the suspects who will face the law accordingly. 

During the burial of Sunday Mulibondo, Bunyangabu RDC said as security team, they will introduce a safe zone or spot where casual labourers will stage and be identified so that they are not suspected to be thieves or escapees from Prison.

He told mourners that the District Security team contributed 100kgs of beans,100 kgs of posho,25 liters of cooking oil and one million shillings towards burial of Mr. Mulibondo.

Masereka stated that for each of the hospitalised people, the team prepared 150,000=,promising that government will cater for all their hospital bills.

ASP Vincent Twinomugisa, the DPC for Bunyangabu district thanked residents of Kitswamba for keeping peace and called upon them to stay calm as investigations to establish the cause of brutality against innocent people. 

Eliphaz Muhindi Bukombi,the LCV chairperson Kasese district asked community members not to keep the law in their hands but to always report wrongdoers to authorities.  He blamed Prison Wardens for using excessive force against harmless, unarmed Ugandans whom they very well knew provided cheap labour for Wardens and in gardens of surrounding community members.

Meanwhile, Hon Sowedi Kitanywa, the Busongora North Member of Parliament had revealed to our reporter that he has reported to the ministry of internal affairs to investigate for justice to prevail, adding that he will pursue compensation for the families of both the deceased and the injured.