Police in Kakumiro district are holding Ruth Ainembabazi, the wife of a 45-year-old businessman, in connection with an armed robbery in which her husband, Jackson Tumwebazi, was shot and critically injured.
The incident happened on Monday night at around 9 p.m. in Rusolera village, Rwembuba parish, Kijangi sub-county, as the couple returned home from their shop. According to eyewitness accounts, three armed men ambushed the pair, ordering them to surrender a bag containing money.
When Tumwebazi resisted, one of the assailants shot him in the leg, forcing him to give up the bag. The gunmen then fled while firing in the air. Residents who rushed to the scene after hearing gunfire later alerted police.
Tumwebazi, who sustained a serious leg injury, told investigators he suspected the attackers had been hiding in nearby bushes, waiting for their return. Julius Hakiza, the Albertine Region police spokesperson, confirmed Ainembabazi’s arrest, saying she is being held at Kakumiro Central police station to assist with investigations.
Detectives recovered two cartridges from the scene as evidence. Police have since opened a case of aggravated robbery. Hakiza noted that investigators are exploring the possibility of an inside hand in the attack, hence Ainembabazi’s detention.
This latest incident comes barely months after a similar case in April 2023, when armed robbers stormed Ngogoli trading centre in Kyangwali sub-county, Kikuube district. Then, they targeted a beer depot owned by John Mukonyezi. When he resisted, the assailants shot his wife, Prisca Kemigisa, in the hand before fleeing with cash, also firing bullets in the air.
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