MUKONO, Uganda — Hamida Mutesi Nalule, a well-known moneylender from Seeta Bajjo, Mukono Municipality, has tragically been stabbed to death by a client who reportedly owed her Sh18 million.
According to Racheal Namwanje, Nalule had loaned Elvis Katabaazi Sh18 million last year, a debt that Katabaazi allegedly never repaid. Since receiving the money, Katabaazi failed to make any payments and repeatedly avoided Nalule’s attempts to recover the funds.
Frustrated by Katabaazi’s evasiveness, Nalule had decided to involve law enforcement or legal professionals to retrieve her money.
On Wednesday, Katabaazi reportedly deceived Nalule, persuading her to accompany him to Nabuti village under the pretense of resolving the loan dispute in the presence of the Local Council One chairperson. It is believed that Katabaazi was aware the chairperson was not at home.
“I know Katabaazi, and I was around when he took 18 million shillings from her. Katabaazi called her to say that he wanted the matter to be resolved by signing an agreement giving out his house as payment for the loan at the chairperson’s office,” Namwanje recounted.
The unsuspecting Nalule drove Katabaazi in her Fielder vehicle, registration number UBR 959B, to Nabutti to meet the chairperson around midday. Upon arrival, the chairperson was indeed absent.
Katabaazi allegedly asked Nalule to wait patiently for the chairperson’s return. By 5 PM, Katabaazi reportedly claimed to remember another location where the chairperson could be found.
Nalule then drove towards Nyenje Road with Katabaazi inside. Just a few meters from the main road, Katabaazi allegedly stabbed Nalule multiple times in the neck and chest. Nalule managed to exit the vehicle, screaming for help, but collapsed and died approximately 10 meters away from her car.
“The witnesses have told us that Katabaazi tried to run away as Nalule was screaming for help. But he was encircled by the locals who had seen Nalule crying for help and eventually dying,” stated Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy Kampala metropolitan police spokesperson.
Owoyesigyire confirmed that Katabaazi used a machete to stab Nalule in the neck and that the weapon has since been recovered.
“Katabaazi is now being held on murder charges. We thank the locals who apprehended him as he was running away. We are collecting all the necessary evidence, and he will be arraigned in courts of law,” Owoyesigyire added.
Police reported that Katabaazi was found with his identity card and confirmed his residency in Nabutti, Central Division, Mukono Municipality. Nalule was 35 years old, while the suspect, Katabaazi, is 26 years old.
