The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
LUUKA, UGANDA | THE INDEPENDENT | Monica Mudondo, the widow of slain Luuka businessman, has recounted the harrowing final moments of her husband, George Kibande, who was shot dead by unknown gunmen inside their bedroom. Kibande was killed on April 26, 2025, at their home in Buyunze Village, Bulongo Sub-county, Luuka District.
The assailants are suspected to have trailed him from Kamuli District, where he had spent the day supervising his sugarcane farms. While police investigations are ongoing, Kibande was laid to rest on April 29, 2025. Mudondo recalls that it was routine for Kibande to return home with meat and call out to her to prepare a meal whenever he traveled for work.
That evening, she says, after arriving home, Kibande proceeded to their bedroom, where they counted cash collected from various businesses across Luuka District. She recounts that while they were balancing the money, they heard suspicious noises but dismissed them as rats.
About 10 minutes later, after storing the money in a safe, their son, who was bathing outside, began shouting for help, crying out, “Come and save me, father, they want to kill me.” The cries echoed towards their bedroom, prompting Kibande to open the door. Mudondo says that three armed men then stormed the bedroom. Kibande calmly asked if they wanted money, some of which was still on the floor, but one of the men told him they were after his life.
According to Mudondo, the assailants ordered Kibande to stand straight, then pushed her and their son toward the bed. They shot Kibande twice. Out of fear, Mudondo slid under the bed, from where she witnessed everything and overheard her husband’s last words: “Mukyala wange ba’ndiise” — loosely translated as “My wife, they have killed me.”
She says Kibande’s blood spilled onto her face, and she could do nothing but weep in despair. Her son, attempting to chase the attackers, was struck in the head and stomach with the butt of a gun. Mudondo says the traumatic images of the shooting replay in her mind like a movie. She married Kibande when she was only 23 years old and describes him not only as a husband but also as a guardian, saying he raised her into a “woman of substance” after she lost her parents at the age of 18. “Losing him in such a brutal manner is a pain I will live with forever,” she says, urging police to thoroughly investigate the motive behind his murder.
Mudondo adds that the gunmen did not take any money, despite it being visible, suggesting that theft may not have been their motive. Meanwhile, Busoga North Police Spokesperson, Michael Kasadha, says investigations are ongoing, and available leads are being examined to expedite the inquiries.
****
URN
