The Gasabo Intermediate Court has convicted Olive Mukangenzi of murder and sentenced her to life imprisonment for her role in the death of a three-year-old boy.

In a verdict handed down on January 16, the court said Mukangenzi was responsible for the death of Gael Hilton Muvunyi, which occurred in Bugesera District in August 2025.

Evariste Nsengumuremyi, who had been charged as an accomplice, was acquitted. The court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to link the bicycle rider to the murder and ordered his immediate release.

Prosecutors had alleged that Nsengumuremyi had an intimate relationship with Mukangenzi and that he had facilitated the crime by buying alcohol for her on the day of the murder. The prosecution had initially sought life sentences for both accused.

What happened?

The hearings were held in public where the crime was committed.

According to prosecutors, the child went missing on August 17, 2025. After a week of searching, his lifeless body was found in a pit latrine at Mukangenzi’s home in Mayange Sector, Kagenge Cell.

Prosecutors told the court that the Muvunyi's family were neighbours of Mukangenzi and that the child had been at her home with his mother before he went missing.

During the hearing during the hearing, held on January 16 , testimonies from Mukangenzi’s children were central to the case. The children told the court that their mother stabbed the child in the head and neck with a knife, smashed him against the wall, and dumped his body into the pit latrine.

They further testified that Mukangenzi warned them not to reveal what had happened, threatening that anyone who spoke would suffer the same fate.

In its ruling, the court convicted Mukangenzi for the voluntary murder, hence the maximum penalty, as provided by law governing ofences and penalties.

Mukangenzi had attempted to challenge the proceedings, with her defence her lawyer, Anne Marie Mukandayisenga, requesting a mental health assessment to determine whether her client was fit to stand trial.

The lawyer argued that criminal responsibility should be assessed in light of the defendant's mental state at the time of the offence.However, prosecutors rejected the request, saying it was a strategy to delay or evade justice.

The court found no basis to suspend the trial for medical evaluation.