By Our Reporter
A dark cloud of grief and outrage hovers over Kalungu District as police intensify their search for David Ssenabulya, a man accused of setting his 14-year-old daughter on fire over a missing Shs 5,000.
The victim, Faith Namwanje, a Senior Two student at St. Ronald Secondary School in Kyamuliibwa, is currently battling for her life at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala after sustaining severe burns to her lower body in what authorities have described as a brutal act of domestic violence.
According to Namwanje, the ordeal began when her father sent her to buy a rope and a razor blade—items he would later use to tie her up and suspend her in a goat pen before setting a fire underneath her.
“He tied my hands, hung me, and lit a fire. My lower body was badly burnt,” Namwanje recounted from her hospital bed. “I managed to untie myself and used water to try and put out the flames.”
The tragedy took a further turn when Ssenabulya allegedly discovered the missing money he had accused her of taking. Realizing the gravity of her injuries, he rushed her to a nearby clinic, but then vanished before police could intervene.
Namwanje was later transferred to Villa Maria Hospital and eventually moved to Nakasero Hospital for specialized treatment due to the critical nature of her burns.
Her mother, Noreen Nakivumbi, a fish vendor in Kalangala, was left heartbroken upon learning what her daughter had endured.
“She was in his care after her grandmother fell sick. He has been abusing her for a while,” Nakivumbi said tearfully, appealing for public assistance to support her daughter’s medical needs.
The horrifying incident was reported to police weeks after it occurred. Faisal Magumba, Acting Police Spokesperson for the Greater Masaka Region, confirmed the case and condemned the act, reiterating law enforcement’s commitment to bringing the suspect to justice.
“This is a clear case of child abuse and attempted murder. We are doing everything we can to locate and apprehend the suspect,” Magumba said.
In a welcome gesture of compassion, Maj. Gen. Proscovia Nalweyiso has taken up Namwanje’s medical expenses and helped coordinate her emergency transfer to Kampala for advanced care.
As the community rallies in support of Namwanje, calls are growing louder for justice and stronger safeguards for vulnerable children.
