A 43-year-old woman in Uganda has been arrested for allegedly killing her husband and burying his body beneath their bedroom floor in a case that has stunned the rural community of Kaniga I village, Buhweju District.
Sharon Nshemereirwe is accused of murdering her husband, Beinomugisha, on the night of April 13, 2025, inside their mud-and-wattle home. According to police, she allegedly struck him on the head with a hammer while he slept, then wrapped his body in bedsheets, a blanket, and tarpaulin before burying him in a shallow grave dug under their bedroom floor.
Initially, Nshemereirwe told relatives that her husband had gone to South Sudan for work, claiming, “He got a construction job and is working hard for us.” However, suspicions grew when he failed to contact his family or return.
Police say Nshemereirwe sent her 13-year-old son, Silver, to their roadside shop the day of the alleged crime and told him not to come home after school. Her deception unraveled when she reportedly confessed to the killing during a conversation with a sibling, which was later shared with authorities.
After the alleged murder, she locked the bedroom and began sleeping in the sitting room, just meters from where the body was buried.
When investigators searched the home, they found five people had been living there: Nshemereirwe, her deceased husband, their teenage son, a nine-year-old daughter with a mental disability, and a two-week-old baby. A 33-year-old woman, Caroline Kansiime, was also present at the time and claimed to be a visitor, although Nshemereirwe said she was a maid.
The baby’s paternity raised further questions. A relative at Beinomugisha’s funeral accused Nshemereirwe of hiding her pregnancy and later claiming the child had been abandoned by a family member. Beinomugisha reportedly doubted the child was his, which had fueled repeated arguments between the couple.
Village officials also revealed ongoing disputes between the couple over financial issues and a controversial land sale. Local leaders suspect the land transaction, completed shortly before Beinomugisha’s death, may have played a role in the motive.
Police exhumed Beinomugisha’s body on April 31 following a court order, and an autopsy has been performed.
Nshemereirwe remains in custody as the investigation continues. Her husband, a builder and businessman, is survived by eight children from three relationships. At the time of his death, he was reportedly working on tile installation at a nearby church.
