Police in Luwero district are investigating the deaths of two people, while a third remains in critical condition after an incident in a temporary shelter erected in a garden.
The deceased have been identified as 45-year-old Grace Nalubwama and her brother Richard Nsobya, aged 35, residents of Kyambogo village in Butuntumula sub-county.
The survivor is Saidah Nabbanja, Nsobya’s wife. The tragedy occurred in their garden in Kibike village, Butuntumula sub-county.
Abdul Kimuli, the LC 1 Chairperson of Kibike village, explained that the family had erected a makeshift shelter made of tarpaulins in the garden to stay in while weeding their beans.
Kimuli said that on Wednesday morning, Nabbanja was found crawling among the beans, pleading to be taken to a hospital. When asked what had happened, she reportedly said that her husband and sister-in-law had died overnight after suffocating in the shelter.
When residents rushed to the shelter, they found the two deceased lying on their bed next to a charcoal stove, which they had been using to cook beans.It is alleged that the deaths were caused by carbon monoxide gas emitted from the stove.
Sam Twiineamazima, Savannah Regional Police Spokesperson, said police later arrived at the scene and transferred the bodies to Luwero Hospital for postmortem examination.
“There are conflicting reports about the cause of death,” Twiineamazima said. “While some suggest suffocation, others suspect poisoning. The postmortem will provide confirmation.”
He added that Nabbanja was also taken to Luwero Hospital for treatment and will give her statement once she recovers.Sleeping in temporary shelters erected in gardens is common in Greater Luwero, but such structures have occasionally led to tragic accidents. In 2021, six family members were found dead in Kaleire village, Nakasongola, reportedly after succumbing to fumes from a charcoal stove left burning while cooking cassava.
In April 2020, three family members died, and another was critically ill in Kabakazi village, Nakasongola district. Their bodies were discovered in a garden tent where they had been staying for about a month.
According to police records, at least 70 people died in similar incidents in Luwero in 2025. URN