MUKONO- Two people have been hospitalized at Nkonkojeru Hospital after their house was set ablaze at Mpunge sub-county in Mukono district.
Mr George Kanya and Mr Yosam Munyaga are battling burns at the hospital with two others reported dead, a mother Ms Juliet Logose, 25, and her son, Joseph Kaliire, aged three.
Police in Mukono is hunting for the unidentified arsonists who set the house on fire.
According to an eyewitness who spoke to our reporter, revealed that the fire started in the night at around eleven o’clock when he had gone outside to the toilet for convenience. On seeing the house on fire, Patrick (not real names) ran towards it and he noticed two people flee the scene immediately.
“I tried to go to their rescue and found that Mr Kanya’s wife and their son was dead,” the witness added.
However, the residents in the area are fond of sleeping with petrol fuel (gasoline) in their houses. This led to speculation that the fire might have started as a result of the fuel.
Ms Zuena Nakalema speculated: “The fire might have started by the petrol that was inside the house.”
The Mpunge sub-county LCI chairperson Ms Freda Muwanga has sent her condolences to the family, however, she cautioned the residents living around the shores of the lake to always avoid keeping petrol in their homes.
Ms Muwanga said: “Avoid sleeping with petrol in your houses. it is a very dangerous liquid!”
Speaking to the victims while at Nkokonjeru hospital, they object to the fire starting as a result of the petrol in their house saying it started from outside – further affirming there were arsonists involved.
Mr Kanya said: “I heard someone outside my house, though I thought they were just passing by so I went back to sleep only to wake up when my house was on fire.”
Police has taken the two bodies to Kawolo hospital for a postmortem and have not yet commented on the incident.
