MITYANA, Uganda — Police in Mityana district are investigating the death of a 23-year-old woman whose body was found in her burnt-out house on Thursday morning, following what police say was a dispute with her husband.
Irene Nakagulire, a resident of Kasiba village in Kiwawu parish, Malangala sub-county, died after a disagreement with her husband, Henry Ziriggwa, according to Wamala Regional Police spokesperson Lameck Kigozi.
Kigozi said Nakagulire had accused her husband of planning to reunite with his former wife, sparking a quarrel that led him to leave the home. Before the fire broke out, Nakagulire arranged for a boda boda rider to take the couple’s four-year-old daughter to her maternal home in Muduuma, Mpigi district.
Police say Nakagulire then locked herself inside the house, and the building caught fire shortly after. Neighbours who rushed to the scene were unable to force their way in, as the door had reportedly been locked from the inside.
Local residents alerted village chairman Baker Ssekasi, who reported the incident to Kiwawu police station. Officers there sought reinforcement from Mityana Central Police Station, and a joint team was dispatched to the scene.
When they arrived, they found Nakagulire had died from severe burns. Her remains were taken to Mityana Hospital mortuary for a postmortem examination.
The couple had been married for six months. Margaret Nanyonjo, Nakagulire’s mother-in-law, told police she had received a call from her son shortly before the incident, in which he raised concerns about some of Nakagulire’s habits, including smoking and alcohol use.
Nanyonjo said Nakagulire called her separately afterward, alleging that Ziriggwa was forcing her out of the home to make way for his former wife. According to Nanyonjo’s statement to police, Nakagulire said she would not accept the former wife’s return unless Ziriggwa arranged alternative housing for her.
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Nanyonjo told police she was shocked by the outcome, saying she had never expected the disagreement to end in the loss of a life.
The case adds to a persistent pattern of domestic violence recorded across Uganda. According to the Uganda Police Crime Report, 12,361 victims of domestic violence were reported to police in 2025, with 208 deaths linked to domestic violence recorded in the same year.
The report identifies disputes over family property, failure to provide for the family, drug and alcohol abuse, and infidelity as among the leading drivers of such cases.
Police say investigations into Nakagulire’s death are ongoing.
