The Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court committed Jolin Kanoheri Rugari, wife of Zimbabwe’s honorary consul in Uganda, Chris Rugari, to the High Court for trial on the charge of murdering their 2-year-old son, Nganwa Rugari, eight months ago.
Grade one Magistrate Frank Namanya sent Ms. Rugari and her housemaid, Robinah Nabbanja, to face murder charges after prosecutors reported that the investigation was complete.
According to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, or DPP, Ms. Rugari faces a charge of murder, while Ms. Nabbanja is charged as an accessory after the fact. The crime allegedly occurred between April 1 and 2, 2025, in the Mutungo Hill area of Nakawa Division, Kampala District. The indictment alleges Ms. Rugari intentionally caused the death of her son, while Ms. Nabbanja helped her evade punishment.
Evidence reveals that Ms. Rugari and the child’s father, Chris Rugari, were embroiled in a divorce case fueled by a paternity dispute. Earlier DNA tests conducted in Turkey, where the family had resided, reportedly showed that two of their three children were not biologically related to Mr. Rugari. Paternity tests for the remaining two children, including the late Nganwa, had not yet been conducted.
As part of the case, a Ugandan court had ordered DNA paternity tests for all five children, scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 2. The mother subsequently announced that Nganwa, one of the children yet to be tested, had died after allegedly opening a window and falling out.
According to committal documents, On the night of April 1st, Kanohéri allegedly reported that the child had accidentally fallen from a first-floor window of their storeyed home. At the time of the incident, only she and the maid were present.
DPP’s evidence shows that the child was initially taken to Kitintale Hospital that night. Although doctors observed no external injuries, they recommended a CT scan to assess internal trauma. However, Kanohéri reportedly declined the scan and insisted on discharging the child.
At approximately 5:30 a.m. the following morning, Kanoheri returned to the hospital with the unresponsive child, who was pronounced dead on arrival and tried to compromise hospital staff to sign a death certificate which they flatly rejected. Sensing deceitfulness, the hospital management covertly alerted police who came to and examined the body . Red flags began popping out at the hospital during her first interrogation when she lied police that her name was Mutesi Brenda but later her passport revealed that her real Names are Jolin Kanoheri Rugari and that she had never used the former names anywhere.
Kanoheri mantained the narrative that she saw her child fall through the window.
A postmortem conducted by government pathologists Dr. Moses Byaruhanga and Dr. Richard Ambayo concluded that the cause of death was not related to the falling as the body didn’t exhibit external and internal injuries consistent with falling as the mother had claimed but rather asphyxia,a condition that happens when the body is deliberately deprived of oxygen, causing the rapture of pulmonary veins that carry oxygenated blood in the body hence leading to unconsciousness and death .
Further investigations by the National Building Review Board (NBRB) cast doubt on Kanohéri’s account. The evidence shows that their forensic engineers found that the window from which the child allegedly fell was intact, difficult to open, and concluded it was highly unlikely that a two-year-old could have opened it unaided.
The records before the Court also state that Digital forensic investigations also played a significant role. An analysis of call data records for phone number 0785 913996, registered in the name of Kanoheri revealed communication with several other numbers. One key exhibit, a phone recovered from a family friend, Baguma Wilfred Karaireho, contained a video clip of the deceased child. The records show that the clip featured a voice later identified as belonging to Latim Hilda, a staff member at Kitintale Hospital.
In the video, Latim is heard saying: “Everything about him, make sure we are ok… Other things God can do miracle, munange.”She later clarified this statement, saying it reflected her disbelief at the mother’s claim about the fall, especially given the child’s stable condition at the time.
The forensic report (DFS/CCU/262/2025) also revealed phone calls, locations, and movements of the suspects before, during, and after the time of the incident.
The crime scene was thoroughly examined by both forensic experts and NBRB engineers. Their report confirmed that the window was shut (but not locked) and very difficult to open, further discrediting Kanohéri’s version that the child had previously opened it on his own.
According to DPP committal documents, Nabbanja ,the house helper narrated that on the eve of the incident , she slept at 8:00 pm and that by 10:00pm , Kanoheri knocked on her door and asked her to wake up and help her to go to pick Nganwa who had fallen through the window of the first floor . That Kanoheri waited for Nabanja to first dress up which took her 3 minutes and thereafter, they both rushed with downstairs , opened the ground floor door and saw Nganwa seated in the middle of the compaund not crying. That it was at that time they decided to call ambulance to take him to Kintintale hospital which examined the baby and found him ok . That the mother returned with the baby and that in the morning at about 5:00am , Kanoheri woke her up again and told her that the kid’s condition had deteriorated. That Kanoheri called the Ambulance again which took the kid to the hospital. That few minutes after the Ambulance had left , Kanoheri called Nabanja to inform her that the kid had died and also instructed her to lock the gate and don’t allow anyone in .
Medical examinations (PF 24 forms) confirmed that both suspects were adults of sound physical and mental health, with no injuries.
In addition to the above, the Prosecution shall tender and rely on several exhibits during trial, including Police Forms 48B and 48C, witness statements, a copy of the marriage certificate of Rugari Chris and Kanohéri, documents relating to Divorce Cause Number 82 of 2024, the birth certificate of the deceased child, and certified copies of medical records from Kitintale Hospital among others to pin the accused of murder.
As a result, both Kanohéri and Nabbanja will remain on remand at Luzira Prison until such unknown time when their case is scheduled for hearing in the High Court.
