Police in western Uganda’s Sheema District are investigating a suspected case of domestic violence that left a 27-year-old businesswoman dead and her alleged lover hanging from a tree.

Authorities said Allen Turyasiima, a shopkeeper, was hacked to death on Friday by Osward Mushumbusha, a mechanic in his 20s, before he took his own life.

Greater Bushenyi Regional Police spokesperson SP Apollo Tayebwa told reporters that the incident was linked to an extramarital affair that had turned violent.

“Turyasiima had abruptly ended an extra-marital relationship she secretly engaged in with Mushumbusha after realizing that her real husband had known about it,” SP Tayebwa said.

He explained that the suspect stormed the woman’s shop in Kangole Cell, Rugazi Parish, Masheruka Sub-county, and attacked her.

“The suspect, armed with a panga, allegedly entered the deceased's shop while she was inside, locked it from inside before hacking the deceased to death,and left the scene. Shortly after managing this incident, Sheema District police received distress information about a suspected suicide by hanging at the same address,” Tayebwa noted.

Police and residents later discovered Mushumbusha’s body hanging from a tree branch in a farmland about a kilometre away.

A blood-stained panga believed to have been used in the killing was recovered near his body.

“The scene of the crime was managed as per our police standard procedure and delivered the bodies of the deceased persons to Kabwohe Health Center IV for postmortem examination,” Tayebwa said, adding: “Investigations are still ongoing and we shall provide updates in due course. As Police, we strongly condemn all forms of violence driven by the mindset of lawlessness, anger, and ego.”

Local leaders described the incident as a reflection of rising cases of domestic violence and rejection-related killings in the district.

Jane Asiimwe Muhiindo, the Resident District Commissioner for Sheema, said many families were under social stress that often escalated into violence.

“People are very stressed to the extent that they can’t fight rejection. We are engaging LC1s together with the police to intensify our community policing to engage the masses,” Muhiindo said.

She added, “Most of the murder cases we have encountered in the district are when the two have misunderstandings, especially fighting rejection, and people resort to killing each other. We are engaging LC1s together with religious leaders and other stakeholders at the village level, such that we spot out who the people are we really need to speak to. Basically, it’s to intensify community intelligence such that some of the things that we do, we can prevent before they happen.”