Nakawa Magistrates Court has remanded Jolin Dusabe Mutesi, wife to Chris Rugari, Zimbabwe’s Consular General to Uganda, for allegedly killing her two-year-old son, Nganwa Rugari.
Appearing before Grade One Magistrate Frank Namanya, Mutesi was charged alongside her maid, Robinah Nabbanja. The two were subsequently remanded May 6, 2025. Mutesi was charged with murder while Nabbanja is accused of aiding and concealing evidence.
“Between April 1 and April 2, with malice and forethought Jolin unlawfully murdered Nganwa. This court has no jurisdiction, all you need to know is the nature of charges,” the presiding magistrate said.
According to the prosecution, on the evening of April 1, 2025, the child allegedly fell from the first floor of a building. Mutesi reportedly rushed him to Kitintale Hospital, where he was examined and discharged with a recommendation for a CT scan. However, he was brought back to the hospital around 5 a.m. the following morning in critical condition and was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Initial observations showed no visible physical injuries on the child’s body. Mutesi was arrested on Sunday following several concerning discoveries—most notably, that the window from which the child allegedly fell was permanently shut.
In 2023, DNA tests on the couple’s three eldest children, aged 14, 12, and 10, revealed that two were not biologically related to Rugari. Consequently, the court ordered paternity tests for all five children, including the deceased two-year-old and his 12-month-old sister. The test for the youngest two was scheduled for April 2, 2025—the same day Nganwa was pronounced dead.
