Husband of Murdered Woman Speaks out as Nteireho’s Family Boycotts Burial

Mark Rugyenza, the husband of the late Melina Tumukunde did not expect his wife in Kampala.

In an interview with the New Vision, Rugyenza noted that he had travelled with the wife from Kampala to Mbarara on Tuesday.

“I then travelled back to Kampala on Wednesday leaving her at home in Mbarara. But I am now getting to learn that as soon as I left, she teamed up with friends and travelled to Kampala without my knowledge,” Rugenza, the owner of Desert-bar in Mbarara and Gabs Lounge in Bugolobi said.

He told the newspaper that he was called on Thursday night and informed that his wife had been shot dead in Kampala. “I quickly called a friend in Mbarara to go and check at home and see whether she was actually there. The friend later called and informed me that she didn’t spend the night at home.

Tumukunde was gunned down together with Joshua Rushegyera Nteireho at Nambigirwa Bridge in Kajjansi town council along Entebbe-Kampala expressway, as they headed towards Entebbe. Security investigations so far reveal that the duo were shot by somebody who was travelling with them in the same car.

Tumukunde was seated behind the co-driver and had a bullet on the head and nothing to show it came from outside the car. The vehicle was well parked and nothing to show it skidded from the road.

Meanwhile, the family of the late Joshua Rushegyera Nteireho who was shot dead on Thursday night has protested a decision to have him buried at Kazo instead of Rwenjeru in Bushenyi district.

As a result, the family has resolved not to go and bury him but wished him eternal rest.

In a statement, Martin Rushegyera, who is the heir and speaking on behalf of the Rushegyera family noted that “as a family, we thought we would lay you to rest by the resting place of your mother in Kashari or near your father’s grave in Rwenjeru Bushenyi. We are disheartened that some people so powerful on your late mother’s side have dictated to bury your remains at your maternal uncle’s place in Kazo in total disregard our lineage and ancestry customs. This is a very big embarrassment and disappointment not only to the Rushegyera family, but to the people of Kashari, Rwenjeru and Bushenyi district, and the Basingo Clan,” he stated.

The family also noted that “the tragic demise of Nteireho our son and brother has left the family devastated. We cannot express in words our heartfelt grief, Joshua you will forever remain in our hearts, especially the way the merciless killers ended your precious life in cold blood. We pray that the killers be brought to book to account for this crime so shocking,”