Investigators are probing the alleged murder of a two-year-old boy, Nganwa Rugari, by his mother, Mutesi Joline, who is the wife of Zimbabwe’s Consular General to Uganda.
The child’s suspicious death is now being viewed as a calculated attempt to prevent the results of a looming paternity test that could unravel a web of family secrets.
The incident occurred on April 1, 2025, at the family’s apartment in Mutungo Zone 8, Kampala.
Mutesi, a mother of five currently undergoing a bitter divorce with her husband, initially claimed that Nganwa had fallen from the first floor of their home. However, police say the story doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
Sources close to the family suggest Mutesi feared the outcome of a DNA test ordered by the court as part of her divorce case.
The test was to be conducted on Nganwa and his one-year-old sister both born during a period when her husband, Chris Rugari, was abroad on diplomatic assignments. Rugari has publicly questioned the paternity of three of the couple’s five children.
“She may have felt trapped,” a family insider stated. “With the DNA test approaching, the child’s existence became a threat to her credibility and the divorce settlement.”
According to police spokesperson SSP Patrick Onyango, Mutesi reached out to an ambulance service around 10:00 p.m. claiming her son had fallen.
Upon arrival at Kitintale Hospital, the boy was conscious and stable, showing no signs of external injuries. Doctors advised a CT scan, but he was not kept under observation.
In a chilling turn, Mutesi returned to the hospital around 5:00 a.m. with Nganwa unresponsive. He was pronounced dead on arrival.
Family members have raised concerns over Mutesi’s behavior in the hours following the boy’s collapse.
Relatives allege she quickly began arranging for the body to be moved and buried, before informing the authorities.
“She seemed more concerned about burying the child than finding out what happened,” said one family member. “It felt rushed and suspicious.”
When detectives visited the family residence, their findings contradicted Mutesi’s narrative.
The window allegedly involved in the fall was found closed, undamaged, and without safety bars casting further doubt on the claim that the child accidentally fell.
A post-mortem conducted at Mulago’s KCCA mortuary revealed no physical injuries consistent with a fall.
With these discrepancies, police now suspect foul play, theorizing that the child may have been deliberately killed to prevent him from undergoing the DNA test.
Mutesi has been taken into custody to assist with the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, Rugari has pushed back against statements from his estranged wife’s sympathizers claiming he gave her permission to have children by other men.
Describing such accounts as falsehoods, he said, “Whoever believes or spreads such nonsense should check themselves.”
He confirmed that DNA tests have already revealed that two of his older children are not biologically his information he claims only came to light in late 2023 and is central to the divorce conflict.
As police continue to unravel the details, what initially appeared to be a tragic household accident is now suspected to be a premeditated act motivated by fear, deception, and the pressure of a crumbling marriage.