Police in Kanungu District have arrested three suspects in connection with the murder of an 83-year-old man and the attempted murder of his 18-year-old son in Butogota Town Council, in an incident linked to a long-standing family land dispute.
Territorial police in Kanungu are investigating the murder by strangulation of an 83-year-old man and the attempted murder of his 18-year-old son in Butogota Town Council.
The deceased has been identified as Joseph Rwakaremera, a resident of Kebiremo Cell, Northern Ward, Butogota Town Council. His son, Swaibu Rwebisengye, survived the attack.
According to police spokesperson ASP Elly Maate, the incident occurred on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, at around 8:30pm when three armed men allegedly stormed the family kitchen.
Maate said two of the attackers grabbed the elderly man and strangled him, while a third assailant dragged the son into the main house, injured him on the forehead, pushed him under a bed, and kept guard as the others killed his father.
The attackers later fled through a coffee plantation. The injured son reportedly alerted his uncle, Kayabuki, who reported the matter to Butogota Police Station.
“Police registered the case, documented the crime scene, and deployed a sniffer dog, but the dog could not trace the suspects because the scene had been tampered with. The body was conveyed to Kanungu Health Centre IV for postmortem,” Maate said.
Police further indicated that the deceased had a history of domestic and family conflicts involving land, particularly with his children and first wife.
Maate said the family disputes over land in Kanyantorogo had previously turned violent, with a related incident reported in May 2026 involving alleged assaults by some family members. That case had reportedly been handled and the family reconciled at the time.
He added that three suspects, all children of the deceased, along with a grandson, have since been arrested to assist with ongoing investigations into the murder and attempted murder.
Police said inquiries are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the attack.