ICC Note: On May 8 in the early morning, Awali Kakaire, a Muslim man and resident of Mbaale village in Eastern Uganda, strangled his wife to death upon her refusal to participate in Islamic prayers with him. His wife, Mariam Nakirya, had converted from Islam to Christianity in August of 2015, unbeknownst to her husband. Kakaire fled his village after murdering his wife and abandoning his five children in a ditch. This is another attack among many that have taken place in Uganda, despite the fact that there is a Christian majority in the population. Christians continue to face persecution in Uganda, especially converts from Islam who are often shunned by their families and communities if not killed. The constitution of Uganda provides for religious freedom as well as conversion from one faith to another without repercussions, yet this principle enshrined in law is not protected throughout the country and many face persecution as a result in the Muslim-dominated regions of the country.

05/31/16, Mayuge District, Uganda (Morning Star News) – A Muslim in eastern Uganda strangled his wife to death this month for leaving Islam, relatives and neighbors said.

Awali Kakaire, 34, early in the morning on May 8 killed Mariam Nakirya for embracing Christianity in Mbaale village, Imanyiro Sub-County, Mayuge District, the area residents told Morning Star News. She was 30.

Kakaire, who has fled the area, began to suspect his wife was a Christian a month prior, after the local imam questioned him as to why his wife and children had not been attending mosque prayers, nor his children attending the madrassa (Islamic school). Kakaire questioned his children about it, said one of his sons, whose name is undisclosed for security reasons.

“Our father questioned us why we have stopped attending the madrassa, but we told him that we were busy with school work as our mother had instructed us,” he told Morning Star News. “Our mother told our father that she has been busy instructing us on school homework. This made my father to cool down his tempers.”

As Kakaire frequently traveled to Malaba on business, sometimes for a month at a time, the rest of the family was often able to attend a nearby church on Sundays.

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