Wakiso, (UG):- The Police at Kisubi Station in Entebbe Police Division are investigating a tragic incident in which a dog escaped from its kennel and mauled to death a 3-month-old baby boy as well as injuring a house helper at Dr Andrew Obuku’s home in Kisubi, Wakiso District.
In a brief statement released on Monday, March 18, 2024, police confirmed the incident identified the deceased baby only as Raphael, a son of Dr Obuku, the former president of the Uganda Doctor’s Association.
“It’s alleged that today 18/03/2024 at around 1000 hours a dog (tamed inside the house) that belongs to Doctor Andrew Obuku the former president of Uganda Doctor’s Association escaped from its kennel. It violèntly attacked and bit to death the baby boy that belongs to Dr Obuku known as Raphael from his home located in Canaan Estate Mawugulu Cell, Katabi Town Council in Wakiso district,” a statement from Kisubi Police Station read in part on Monday.
“The dog badly bit the boy’s head; hence, it removed the internal organs of the head, say the brain, which is a rare behaviour of dogs, and thus it might have been sick,” the statement adds.
According to police, the incident reportedly happened when the boy’s parents had left him in the custody of Sharon Nuwarinda, the newly recruited housemaid, who in her narration of the events said she placed Raphael on the veranda of the house as she was doing her housework while watching over him.
“Then I suddenly saw the dog coming to attack the boy. I rushed to pick him up. However, the dog grabbed the boy, and I tried to struggle with the dog, but it overpowered me and bit the boy badly,” Nuwarinda told police.
Police said the dog also took a bite at the maid’s thigh, and after a continuous alarm, and when the dog killed the boy, it went back to its kennel.
Later on, the neighbors arrived at Mr Obuku’s home, and the deceased was rushed to Kisubi Hospital.
Police in its preliminary findings discovered that the dog’s house was not well fixed, which gave it a chance to sneak out.
The crime report added that “the doctor’s house is always locked from the gate, which makes it hard for the neighbours to understand the situation.”
DailyExpress understands that the baby’s body was taken to Kisubi Hospital first and later to Mulago National Referral Hospital for a post-mortem, while the housemaid was taken to the Entebbe police station for safe custody.
The Kisubi incident underscores the need to equip dog owners with knowledge on managing the dangerous domestic animals.
Official government figures indicate on average, Uganda records 14,865 dog bites and 36 rabies deaths annually, considering statistics from 2015-2020.
The dog bite incidence varies per region, with the highest incidence in the Northern region followed by the Central, Western, and East regions.
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