A woman in Musoto, Mbale City, is receiving treatment under Police protection after she survived a lynching at the hands of an irate mob that torched her house over allegations of motorcycle theft.
The attack, which unfolded around 2am on Friday, has reignited alarm over rising cases of mob justice in eastern Uganda.
John Masaba, the area village chairperson, said a group of unidentified Boda Boda riders arrived at his home in the early hours of the morning claiming that a stolen motorcycle had been located at the woman’s residence.
“They led me to the house and showed me the motorcycle. When I asked who had brought it, they said the owner had escaped,” Masaba said.
Fearing for the safety of the woman and her three children, Masaba called the Police as tensions escalated.
The woman reportedly went into hiding while Masaba rescued her children and gave them shelter.
Police arrived shortly after and managed to extract the woman from the scene.
However, the mob retaliated by setting her house on fire.
In the chaos, much of the household property was looted.
Masaba revealed that he had previously received complaints from residents and had personally cautioned the woman over alleged involvement in criminal activities.
It is alleged that after separating from her husband, who left her with their child, she continued to live in the house but attracted criminal elements to the area.
“Ever since the man abandoned her, she turned the home into a den of thieves,” Masaba said.
Some residents expressed dismay, particularly among women who felt the woman’s actions had shamed the community.
“She has embarrassed us as women. How can a mother be involved in such acts?” one resident asked.
George Khisa Muyange, a Boda Boda leader in Mbale City, linked the incident to a growing wave of motorcycle thefts.
He recalled a recent case in which a woman posing as a passenger lured a young Boda Boda rider into a deadly ambush in the same neighbourhood.
“The rider was beaten to death and his motorcycle taken. These crimes are fuelling a lot of anger among riders,” he said, while cautioning against mob action.
Police have condemned the violence and launched investigations, urging the public to refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
The woman remains under medical care at an undisclosed facility, while her children are being looked after by local authorities.