For The Record: It’s the kind of story you never want to hear repeatedly, leave alone report or write home about. The kind that makes one` skin go rough with goosebumps, the heart faints in terrible ache, and a sharp pain runs down the spine! The story of a mother, a woman who carried a child for nine months, fed them, laid them to sleep, kissed them `good night` but now, being positively accused of killing the same soul!
Too fictious it felt, and, or even sounded unbeleivable, when on the afternoon of 2nd April 2025, news went viral on social media, supposing that Jolin Kanoheri aka Mutesi, a 40yr old resident of Mutungo Hill, and wife to Chris Rugari, a Uganda`s consul to Zimbabwe, had instantly stamped a permanent fullstop onto her two-and-a-half-year old son, Nganwa Rugari`s tender life! Too cruel to be real, but sadly, it’s a registered case before police and court!
In these lines lies our first story titled; Filicide Most Ugly: From Lovebirds to Murder Dockets, to the Slope into Darkness, to The Sex Scandals and Smart Wire Tales, The Investigator Rises To Work. As earlier suggested, this aint a story one would fonder writing about repeatedly… But here we are, simply to put back on track, what the suspects` agents and apologists, direly intend to divert the public from – the truth.
How It Unfolded
For starters, stories are rife how, Kanoheri, on April 1st 2025 at 11Pm, reportedly rushed her now demised son, to a Kitintale-premised medical facility. Here, she reported how the kid had supposedly skidded through the window at the second floor of their house. She argued the doctors to do admit the boy and apply treatment. The doctor on duty examined the child and tentatively prescribed painkillers, as well as recommending a CT scan, due to the reported fall.
Upon completion of the examination, the hospital determined the child was well, had not fallen whatsoever, and turned down Kanoheri`s suggestion to have them admitted. They however advised the mother to instead give the lad some food before giving her the prescribed painkillers. They further released the boy but reserved their observations and concerns about her choice to lie about her own child.
“We were very disturbed, shocked and confused why she had cooked up a `fall` story about her own child! Her intentions and motive were illusion to us… but we got the answer the following day!” a credible source from the hospital management confided. Indeed, on April 2nd 2025 at 5am, she again called the hospital, telling them how her son was badly off and that she was on her way to deliver him. On arrival, the lad was declared dead!
Here, Joline blamed the Doctors and the hospital at large, for her child`s demise. Reason? They had `refused` to admit him the previous evening! Little did she know that the hospital had already questioned her intentions and, upon declaring the baby dead, they legally contacted police to take up the matter. A few minutes after, she called the family lawyer, announced the baby`s death and the lawyer passed on the sad news to the father and eventually, other family members.
Police Action
On reaching the hospital, the father, Chris Rugari and family members concurred with Joline, who was already demanding for the release of the body, to have the same passed on to the funeral service managers, for the next course – funeral arrangements and eventual burial. As the hospital management dillydallied, police arrived. After a brief closed-door encounter with the management, police announced to the family how their purpose was to question Joline about how the child met his death.
“Get serious guys. You mean my wife killed our son? This is a wastage of our time really,” the innocent Chris reportedly charged at the detectives. But they actually meant business. It is here that Joline was arrested first, taken back home to reconstruct for police, how the boy supposedly fell from the window at the second floor. Here, police realized her story, and that of their maid, Robina Nabbanja, 24, weren’t adding up.
However, police opened an enquiry before forwarding the body to Mulago Hospital for the postmortem and further management. Back to the investigations, Nabbanja had reportedly thundered thus; “Temunyingiza mu bintu byammwe,” loosely meaning, “Don’t involve me in your stuff.” This statement meant volumes to the police – something wrong had happened and the maid wanted out of it.
The Investigations
By committing the offense, according to the continuing revelations, Joline must have thought all was going to stop at her story. Never to involve police investigations and or, extend to a postmortem performance. “Yafudde mafumira” is the Luganda word normally used in her ancient homeplace of Ngoma, especially in cases of fatal accidents whose victims sustain no external injuries. It loosely means someone died of “internal bleeding!”
Upon the release of the autopsy, it was revealed that the young boy died following instant deprivation of oxygen. This implied someone denied him of breath, by suffocating him. Immediately, Joline and her family members contacted a popular army general, complaining that Rugari`s rich family had influenced the autopsy results! The General in return reached out to Uganda Police chief pathologist SCP Dr. Byaruhanga, and relayed the same protest!
Sensing a new twist taking shape, the no-nonsense pathologist recalled the body which had already been released to the family for burial arrangements. He then invited three more senior collogues, including a visiting Kenyan Doctor, to redo the postmortem. Again, all the four pathologists` results concurred with the previous one. The cause of little Rugari`s death was none but instant deprivation of oxygen!
The above now confirmed Joline and her family`s fear of a case registered unto her name. The same also gave credence to the hospital management, and police detectives` instincts, suggesting a filicide having been committed by Joline. Why she lied about her starved child`s health and eventual death became the center of investigation, firstly, in search of the motive.
And hence, the layers began to peel back, revealing a scandal-filled marriage, secret lovers, aka smart wires, betrayal, and an emotional war that had been simmering for years. This stance, as reported in our part one of these series. That Joline had denied food to her son before cynically seeking the `medical attention` for the alleged `fall` at home, plus denying him oxygen and hence, instantly killing him, became an ingredient in the supposed circumstantial evidence being sought against her.
Furthermore, detectives unraveled that two of little Rugari`s siblings, the second and third borns, and the same whom DNA had denied the Rugari paternity, had been whisked away on the night before their half-brother’s demise! To this end, police are yet to establish their whereabouts. The whisking away of these lads provoke vivid memories of Katanga murder case under trial, where a seven-year-old was taken out of the home before his father`s brutal demise!
Again, in Juvenal Nsenga case, where his wife Jackline Uwera Nsenga, 36, was convicted of his murder and handed a 20-year prison sentence, all the children and house-helps had the previous day, been taken away from home. Given the already determined facts above, the removal of the children from home, by Joline on the fateful day, therefore, contributes largely to the ingredients of the circumstantial evidence being compiled against her.
Furthermore, having sensed she had indeed had a case to her name, Joline gave to police, a false identity of her person, calling her self Joline Mutesi. The name Mutesi, it was established, had never been hers, not even at one moment being her petty name. Police hence summoned for her passport which gave them the right name of Kanoheri Joline as being her only name. This gave weight to reports that she had plans to change her identity and switch countries at any given chance of a slight freedom!
Again, at home during the vigil and funeral service at home in Mutungo, detectives observed Joline`s actions with great suspicion. As everyone was busy with funeral arrangements, she called her mechanics and spent most of her time monitoring the major services on her car! Again, she called in her hairdressers to work on her beauty needs as family and friends mourned on. Her actions loaded more volumes to suggestions that she had plans to flee the country to a neighboring DR Congo at any grabbed chance immediately before or after burial in Kisoro, Kabaare.
Now What? Well, we understand the no-nonsense CID Boss, Maj. Tom Magambo`s lads are still sweeping for more incriminating evidence against her, and her accessory. Good news, Jolin and Robinah are in prison. The country is still in shock. And atThe Investigator, we rose to work, following this case to its bitter end. This stance, because in the middle of all this drama, betrayal, and heartbreak, one person matters most. His name is Rugari Nganwa. A life lost too soon. A child who had no voice. … watch this space.
Author Profile
- Stanley Ndawula is a two and a half decades’ seasoned investigative journalist with a knack for serious crimes investigations and reporting. He’s the Founding Editorial Director and CEO at The Investigator Publications (U) Limited
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