Police at Jinja Road Station are holding Jolin Dusabe Mutesi, a mother of five, in connection with the mysterious death of her two-year-old son amid an ongoing divorce and paternity dispute with her estranged husband.
The child, identified as Nganwa Rugari, reportedly died on Wednesday, April 2, under unclear circumstances. He was a resident of Mutungo Zone 8, Nakawa Division, Kampala, according to a statement issued Sunday afternoon by police.
“The police at Jinja Road are currently investigating the tragic death of a two-year-old child,” said ASP Luke Owoyesigyire, Deputy Public Relations Officer for Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP). “Preliminary findings indicate that on the evening of April 1, 2025, the child allegedly fell from the first floor of a building.”
Ms. Mutesi reportedly rushed the child to Kitintale Hospital, where he was examined and discharged with a recommendation for a CT scan. However, the child was brought back to the hospital around 5 a.m. the next morning in critical condition and was pronounced dead upon arrival.
Police opened a death inquiry and transported the child’s body to Mulago City Mortuary for a postmortem examination.
“Initial observations revealed no visible physical injuries on the body,” Owoyesigyire said.
Later on Sunday, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Patrick Onyango announced that the mother had been arrested following “several key findings,” including the discovery that the window from which the child was allegedly said to have fallen was “permanently closed.”
“When the police forensic team examined the body at the hospital, they found no signs of trauma—no swelling, bleeding, injuries, or even a scratch,” said a family member close to the investigation.
Mutesi is currently detained at Jinja Road Police Station, where she is assisting with ongoing inquiries. The station’s District Police Commander, Superintendent of Police Patrick Opiyo, confirmed the arrest and said investigators are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
A senior detective involved in the investigation revealed that a paternity test is being conducted on the child as part of the broader case.
The incident has drawn public attention due to an ongoing legal battle between Mutesi and her estranged husband, Chris Rugari, a diplomat. The couple is currently embroiled in a contentious divorce case before the Family Division of the High Court in Kampala, which includes disputes over the paternity of their five children.
In 2023, DNA tests conducted on the couple’s three eldest children—aged 14, 12, and 10—revealed that two of them were not biologically related to Rugari. As a result, the court ordered DNA testing for all five children, including the two-year-old and his 12-month-old sister.
The test for the youngest two children was scheduled for April 2—the same day Nganwa was pronounced dead.
Sources close to the family suggest that detectives are investigating whether the child’s death was linked to efforts to delay or avoid the paternity tests. A family member claimed that Mutesi began making funeral arrangements almost immediately after the child’s death, calling relatives and urging them to move the body to a funeral home.
“She was reportedly preoccupied with burial arrangements just minutes after the child was pronounced dead and insisted the body be moved immediately,” the source said.
However, when Rugari’s relatives arrived, they refused to allow the body’s removal before a police examination could be conducted, as required in cases of suspicious or accidental deaths.
DNA Dispute Deepens Divorce Drama
Rugari is seeking a divorce on grounds of infidelity. The 2023 DNA results prompted the court to mandate testing for all five children. The test for the deceased and his sister had been set for April 2—the very day the child died.
