KAMPALA — The Nakawa Chief Magistrates Court has 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 two-year-old son, Nganwa Rugari, eight months ago.
Grade One Magistrate Frank Namanya committed Kanoheri and her housemaid, Robinah Nabbanja, to face murder charges after prosecutors reported that the investigations into the case were complete. According to the Directorate of Public Prosecutions’ findings, Kanoheri faces a charge of murder, while Nabbanja is charged as an accessory after the fact. The alleged crime occurred between April 1 and 2, 2025, at Mutungo Zone 8, Mutungo Hill, Nakawa Division, Kampala District. The indictment alleges that Kanoheri, with malice aforethought, caused the death of her two-year-old son, Nganwa Rugari, while Nabbanja enabled her to escape punishment.
Evidence further reveals that Kanoheri and the child’s father, Chris Rugari, were embroiled in a divorce case attributed to a paternity test conducted earlier on three children in Turkey, where the family had been living. That test had ruled out a biological relation between Chris Rugari and two of the three children. Paternity tests had not yet been conducted on the last two children, including the late Nganwa. As part of the divorce case, the court in Uganda had ordered DNA paternity tests for their five children, scheduled for 2 p.m. on April 2. The mother announced that Nganwa, whose paternity test had not been done, had died after opening the window and jumping out. According to committal documents, on the night of April 1, Kanoheri allegedly reported that the child had accidentally fallen from a first-floor window of their storied home. At the time of the incident, only she and the maid were present.
The 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, Kanoheri 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. She then reportedly tried to compromise hospital staff to sign a death certificate, which they flatly rejected. Sensing deceit, the hospital management covertly alerted police, who came and examined the body. Red flags began popping out at the hospital during her first interrogation when she lied to police that her name was Brenda Mutesi, but her passport later revealed that her real name is Jolin Kanoheri Rugari and that she had never used the former name anywhere. Kanoheri maintained 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. The body did not exhibit external or internal injuries consistent with a fall, as the mother had claimed, but rather asphyxia, a condition that happens when the body is deliberately deprived of oxygen, causing the rupture 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 Kanoheri’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 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 Kanoheri’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 p.m., and that by 10 p.m., Kanoheri knocked on her door and asked her to wake up and help her go to pick Nganwa, who had fallen through the window of the first floor. She said that Kanoheri waited for Nabbanja to first dress up, which took her three minutes, and thereafter, they both rushed downstairs, opened the ground floor door, and saw Nganwa seated in the middle of the compound not crying.
Nabbanja stated that it was at that time they decided to call an ambulance to take him to Kitintale Hospital, which examined the baby and found him okay. The mother returned with the baby, and in the morning at about 5 a.m., Kanoheri woke her up again and told her that the child’s condition had deteriorated. Kanoheri called the ambulance again, which took the child to the hospital. A few minutes after the ambulance had left, Kanoheri called Nabbanja to inform her that the child had died and also instructed her to **lock the gate and not 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 Chris Rugari and Kanoheri, 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 Kanoheri and Nabbanja will remain on remand at Luzira Prison until such unknown time when their case is scheduled for hearing in the High Court.
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