Mbarara businessman shot dead in suspected property wrangle

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Residents of Kakiika village in Mbarara City North Division were on Sunday morning woken up by a gunshot that claimed the life of Rauben Sunday.

Sunday, aged about 45 and a former moneylender in Mbarara, was killed in the yard of the family rentals where he had been burning waste collected during a general cleaning of the compound.

According to Lynna Nasiima, the deceased’s domestic worker, her master was gunned down by unknown assailants at about 6:02am.

“It was at around 06:02am when I heard one gunshot. I opened the door and found Sunday groaning, lying down where he had been burning the rubbish he had collected after cleaning. I made an alarm that attracted neighbours and the LC1 chairperson. However, as we were still looking for a vehicle to rush him to hospital, he breathed his last,” she explained.

Police later arrived, cordoned off the crime scene, recovered one bullet shell, and took the body to Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital for post-mortem.

The assailants allegedly arrived on a motorcycle, which remained parked on the road a few metres from where Sunday was shot, before they fled. No arrests have been made so far.

Locals in the area suspect that Sunday’s death could be linked to a longstanding family property wrangle following disagreements among siblings over the sale of rentals left behind by their deceased father, John Babyehuzya, who died in 2023.

The siblings accuse their sister, Sylvia Kobusingye, alias Pendo, of secretly selling the family rentals, comprising about 25 rooms, without involving other family members.

Night Kyomuhendo, the deceased’s elder sister, said she received a disturbing phone call informing her that her brother had been shot dead. However, she said she was not surprised, given the tensions within the family.

“Sunday stood for the truth, unity; that is why he fought our siblings from selling the family property and took the matter to the courts of law,” she said.

Kyomuhendo added that this was not the first attempt on Sunday’s life, recalling that he had recently been stabbed in the neck by unknown individuals while in an outdoor bathroom and was still recovering from the injuries.

Kobusingye is alleged to have sold the family property and received a deposit of sh100m. However, Sunday went to court and stopped the transaction.

“When he was stabbed in the neck, he intimated to me that he was fearing for his life, and I warned him to be careful because they would harm or kill him, and now their mission has been fulfilled,” the sobbing Kyomuhendo added.

The assertions were confirmed by Kakiika village LC1 chairperson, Adson Oketcho, and the deputy mayor for Mbarara City North, Edson Mushabe.

Oketcho said residents and the LC1 office had previously tried to intervene in the land wrangle, advising the siblings to sell the property and share the proceeds. However, Sunday insisted that their late father had told him never to sell or vacate the property.

Sunday and Kyomuhendo later agreed to allow their siblings to sell their shares, but only after settling or refunding the person to whom Kobusingye allegedly sold the entire family property. The matter has been before the courts of law.

Evelyn Wolimbwa, a resident and friend to the deceased, said Sunday was protecting the family property and expressed concern that greed among his siblings could have now cost him his life.

“Now that Sunday has been killed, I fear the person who claimed to have bought late Babyehuzya’s property will take possession easily since Sunday is dead and the suspected siblings will be in detention," she said.

Police have not issued an official statement, and Rwizi Region Police spokesperson Samson Kasasira could neither be reached by phone nor replied to messages sent to his number by press time.