Thugs attack woman

Husband arrested SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE – An early morning venture to answer ‘natures call’ nearly turned catastrophic for a village woman as she was attacked by unknown thugs at around 4 am on Thursday. This is the story which this writer filed after receiving a tip by villagers to the effect that thugs had pounced on villagers at Tumba Sector Rango B Cell within the Ndangarugero Village in Huye District. When this writer arrived at the scene of the crime he found both the victims Claudine Kayitesi and her housemaid, Viviane Kubwimana still had their hands tied to their backs. Kayitesi narrated that the thugs pounced on her as she opened the door to the main house while she was venturing out of her house to answer a call of nature. She went on and narrated her ordeal at the hands of the thugs after they gained access to her house. Kayitesi told this writer that the thugs after tying her dragged her to the living room from where she was gagged off before they started beating her up. By the time the writer arrived at the scene scores of villagers were milling around. A police officer, who had arrived at the scene moments earlier, cordoned off the area. He however could not make an official comment on the matter. “I did not recognise the attackers,” said Kayitesi visibly in shock. “They grabbed me by the neck as I opened the door,” she narrated. Kubwimana said, “One man holding a metallic object held me as I opened the door to my room after being woken up by the commotions. He pushed me back and he tied up my hands.” But it was a sudden heavy bang on the main gate that scared the attackers into fleeing. “I heard a sudden loud bang on the gate, and suddenly the two men went out scattering leaving us tied up in the living room,” Kubwimana added. Kayitesi suspects her husband to be behind the attack. “I have been having problems with my husband since he decided to take on another wife. He has threatened me on several occasions and I believe he is the mastermind of this incident,” Kayitesi said. Her husband, Edward Rubarika, a truck driver has been having marital problems with Kayitesi. The victim told this writer that Rubarika stopped providing for their three children. “I have struggled to provide for the family. He adamantly refused to assist with family support despite earning some income,” the woman said of her husband whom she married in 2002. Kayitesi claims that this is not the first time she has been under such attacks. She narrated that in 2007 she was waylaid by an attacker as she returned from work. She was beaten but managed to escape to safety. The incident was reported to police, she added. Last year, she was again beaten up by an unknown assailant as she left her work place in Huye town at around 5.00pm. The assailant was never arrested or even identified. Kayitesi further said that she has been receiving threatening messages from a woman known as Josee Majigija, who is believed to be Rubarika’s new wife. “I filed all this evidence with the Ngoma Police Station but no action was taken,” she claims. An attempted re-union brokered by both families did not last long, she revealed. The man failed to honour his pledge of sticking to one wife, Kayitesi says. Glorieuse Uwamwezi, the president of the National Women’s Council in the district, said this is a high form of gender based violence which requires the involvement of the whole community. “This is not a problem for women alone. When women are abused, the whole family is affected. We need concerted efforts in fighting this vice,” Uwamwezi emphasized. “Women should take measures to protect themselves by speaking out against such abuses before they prove fatal,” she added. Meanwhile, Kayitesi’s husband, the prime suspect in the attack has been arrested, according to our sources. Ends