A 44-year-old Congolese national has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife at Dzaleka Refugee Camp in Dowa following a dispute over a pregnancy.
Investigations revealed that a man identified as Wilonje Ettando had been quarreling over suspicions that his wife Mapendo Assan was pregnant of which he believed he was not the father.
According to police, Ettando and relatives rushed his 22-year-old wife, Assan, to Dzaleka Health Centre in the early hours of July 9 claiming she had suddenly fallen ill.
Dowa Police Public Relations Officer Sub Inspector Alice Sitima said medical personnel at Dzaleka Health Centre found the woman dead upon arrival and noted suspicious signs on her body.
It is also reported that medical results indicated that Assan was not pregnant.
She added that police were notified immediately and the body was taken to Dowa District Hospital for a postmortem examination.
“Medical personnel established that she was already dead upon arrival and observed suspicious signs on the body. The matter was immediately reported to police, who took the body to Dowa District Hospital for a postmortem examination,” Sitima said.
A postmortem conducted at Dowa District Hospital concluded that Assan died of suffocation secondary to strangulation.
However, Police noted evidence of a fragile neck and finger markings.
Sitima said Wilonje Ettando was arrested on July 9, 2026, two days after he arrived at the camp from Mozambique and will appear in court soon to answer a charge of murder.
