By Panic gripped Kalangala B Zone in Kalangala Town Council after a man allegedly set fire to a house belonging to his former boss, nearly killing six family members sleeping inside.
The suspect, only identified as Katongole, was arrested by police following the incident, which unfolded in the early hours of the morning when the victims were fast asleep.
Southern Regional Police spokesperson Mr. Twaha Kasirye confirmed the arrest, revealing that the suspect had repeatedly issued threats to Ms. Margret Naggita, 60, who had previously given him shelter when he was homeless.
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“Ms. Naggita acted as a Good Samaritan for Katongole, but when she later asked him to vacate her house, he turned violent and began threatening her,” Mr. Kasirye said.
According to police reports, Ms. Naggita had temporarily traveled out of Kalangala, leaving her 20-year-old daughter Juliet Nakaggwa, four siblings, and their 80-year-old grandmother at home. It was during this time that Katongole allegedly broke a window, poured paraffin on a sofa near the opening, and lit a fire—seemingly intending to kill those inside.
“I was woken up by whispers outside around 1 a.m.,” Nakaggwa recalled. “At first I thought it was one of my siblings. But then I heard glass breaking. Soon, I smelled paraffin. My grandmother thought it was an electrical issue, but when I opened the bedroom door, the room was already full of smoke.”
Thanks to quick-thinking neighbors who responded to their distress calls, the family escaped unhurt through the back door. However, several household items, including a 42-inch TV, a bed, mattress, and the sofa set, were destroyed before the fire could be contained.
Ms. Naggita said the suspect had been a longtime caretaker of her late father’s property for over a decade. Despite family requests for him to vacate the premises, Katongole reportedly resisted until the Resident District Commissioner (RDC)’s office intervened.
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“We even gave him a portion of the property after the RDC advised us to, but he sold it and continued to live in our father’s house,” Ms. Naggita said. “He kept hanging around the premises, placing strange pots and issuing threats. He would often say he would harm me.”
Village chairperson Mr. Bosco Mubiru confirmed that Katongole, after eviction, took refuge in a nearby kitchen and had become a source of fear in the neighborhood.
“During a recent hailstorm, he claimed he caused it and warned that worse was coming. His repeated threats are what led us to finally involve the police,” Mr. Mubiru said.
Police say investigations into the Kalangala incident are ongoing, and the suspect is expected to face charges of attempted murder and arson.
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