President Museveni has condemned as “horrific and inhumane” the act of a father who set his 14-year-old daughter ablaze in Kyotera District, pledging full justice for the victim and accountability for all who connived in the crime.
He has also ordered a review of the 12-year sentence earlier handed to the perpetrator, saying Uganda cannot tolerate such cruelty.
Represented by the Minister of State for Microfinance, Haruna Kyeyune Kasolo, the President sent condolences to the bereaved family of Faith Namwanje and reassured mourners that every person involved in the case would face the full force of the law.
He also contributed Shs10 million to the family and committed to covering all medical and burial expenses.
“This nation cannot tolerate the cruelty of parents or guardians who direct anger at innocent children. The President has made it clear that every person involved in this heinous act will face justice,” Kasolo told mourners at Nsambya Village in Kyotera District on Wednesday.
Grief and outrage filled the village as hundreds gathered to bid farewell to Namwanje, a Senior Two student at St Ronald Secondary School Kyamuliibwa in Kalungu District, who succumbed on Tuesday at Nakasero Hospital after months of struggling with severe burns inflicted in April.
The tragedy unfolded when her father, Daniel Ssenabulya, 36, allegedly tied her hands, hung her on a tree, and set her ablaze over Shs5,000 he accused her of stealing—money he later found he had misplaced.
Despite the agony, the teenager managed to untie herself, find water to ease the burns, and was later rushed to hospital, where she endured months of treatment before her death.
Police in Masaka confirmed that Ssenabulya, who had been on the run, was arrested on August 11 in Kyanamukaaka, Masaka District.
He was sentenced to 12 years in prison, but with Namwanje’s death, the case has now taken a new dimension.
Kasolo also used the occasion to caution parents against using violence as a form of discipline, urging them to adopt more humane ways of guiding their children.
