Neighbours Watched as Valentine’s Night Horror Unfolded in Matugga

For nearly two hours on Valentine’s Day night, cries for help echoed from a house in Mabanda Village, Matugga Town Council — but neighbours stayed inside and listened. Inside the house, 18-year-old Martin Bukenya, a student at Hillside SS Matugga, was being beaten by Herbert Lumu, who had allegedly found him carrying a flower he had brought for his underage daughter as an expression of love.

Local leaders say the assault lasted from about 8 pm to 10 pm. Residents would later admit that the boy begged for mercy as Lumu unleashed punches, kicks, and canes on him — but most people remained in their homes. It was only when one man returned and heard the cries for help that someone attempted to intervene. He smashed one of the window panes with a brick.

According to Sarah Namuddu, the Women Affairs leader in Mabanda, Bukenya had already lost consciousness by then, but Lumu continued beating him, thinking he was pretending. “He hit one of the windowpanes with a brick. The boy first lost consciousness, but Lumu continued beating him, thinking he was pretending. He later threw him into the courtyard, where he died,” Namuddu said.

The killing has since drawn condemnation from local leaders, who are questioning the silence of residents who witnessed the incident unfold. Led by Mabanda Vice Chairperson Robinah Nalugya, Namuddu, and area councilor Catherine Sserunjjogi, the leaders say the tragedy might have been avoided had neighbours intervened in time. Nalugya said Lumu acted in excessive anger and has now created problems for himself that he will live to regret.

According to her, Bukenya would not have died if locals had stepped in earlier. She added that they are now working with security agencies to ensure Lumu is apprehended to face murder charges. Sserunjjogi urged parents to guide teenagers rather than respond with rage when they make mistakes.

She said both boys and girls in their adolescent years experience situations that require counseling rather than violence. “If Lumu had reasoned like a parent, he wouldn’t be on the run now. He would be living in peace. But he is now wanted for murder. As parents of boys or girls, we need to be counselors because they need our guidance,” Sserunjjogi said.

However, it has since emerged that some of the closest neighbours deliberately left Lumu to punish the boy. According to information gathered by investigators, Bukenya had previously been found in the same house and warned never to return after a meeting involving both families. 

“There are things some people are not telling. This boy had been coming to this home and was once caught red-handed by the suspect with his daughter. The man got angry, but the incident was resolved after a meeting with the boy’s parents. The boy was warned never to return to Lumu’s home, but he didn’t take it seriously,” a neighbour told detectives.

Nalugya also pointed to Lumu’s own past, accusing him of failing to reflect on his history. She said Lumu allegedly impregnated the girl’s mother when she was only 14 years old and later married her. “Lumu married the mother of this girl when she was only 14 years old. He first disappeared with the girl, and this is information in the public domain. If the parents of this girl’s mother had acted in the same way, he would also be dead,” Nalugya said.

It is alleged that Lumu was 20 at the time, creating a six-year age difference. By contrast, Bukenya was 18, while the girl whose relationship allegedly led to his death turned 17 about four months ago. Police have since launched a manhunt for Lumu. Rachael Kawala, the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, said Lumu fled after area leaders established that the boy had died in his courtyard. 

Five locals who recorded statements with police said Bukenya died at about 10 pm after being beaten for nearly two hours. His body was picked up by the police and taken to Mulago Hospital at around 2 am. He was laid to rest on Tuesday this week.

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