Several elderly persons in Lwengo District have fled their homes following threats of attack by unknown assailants. At least seven homes in Kyoko, Mirembe and Kaganda villages in Kingo sub-county, Lwengo district have been abandoned due to the apparent state of fear caused by machete-wielding assailants who have hacked several people in recent days.

The owners of the homes fled for dear lives after the assailants wrote messages on their walls threatening to strike any time. Robina Naluwu, the Kaganda parish councillor says that the recent murders that seem to largely target people of advanced age have bred a lot of fear among residents prompting some of them to flee their homes.

According to Naluwu, some of the senior citizens have been taken away by their relatives living outside Lwengo district while those who live in isolated houses are moving in the communities where they feel relatively safer.

She says despite the heightened security presence in the area, there is still growing fear among residents especially after they woke up and found leaflets and their walls painted with threatening messages on Monday.

Gerald Kasumba, 79, a resident of Mirembe village and his wife Christine Nakabogere, 69, have deserted their home because of security concerns. The couple is currently spending their nights in the neighboring home where they converge and feel a little safer.

Kasumba says that they only return to their home in the morning, saying this has now become part of their routine until the situation normalizes.

Stephen Ssebunya, the Kyoko Village Defense Secretary says they are now encouraging residents to stay calm, owing to the re-operationalization of night patrols in their areas as an emergency response to the current situation.

Ssebunya says that they have instituted village security teams to complement the police night patrols as a way to secure the area and restore confidence among residents.

Muhammad Nsubuga, the greater Masaka Regional Police Spokesperson says that they have identified blackspots where they have increased security deployment. He says that they have got clear leads into their investigations, adding that soon the situation will normalize. Thirteen of the 30 suspicious murders that have occurred in the greater Masaka sub-region occurred in Lwengo district.