Fight over chicken, tomatoes ends up in Supreme Court

WHEN your chicken strays into the neighbour’s compound and eats tomatoes, it is probably a minor thing. But for Paul Bucyana and Saidat Yankurije, the chicken-tomato tale is big enough to warrant an attempted murder charge and 20 years in jail.

Thursday, January 10, 2013

WHEN your chicken strays into the neighbour’s compound and eats tomatoes, it is probably a minor thing. But for Paul Bucyana and Saidat Yankurije, the chicken-tomato tale is big enough to warrant an attempted murder charge and 20 years in jail. It all started when Bucyana, who owns a poultry farm, shifted to Rusororo sector in Gasabo district with his poultry and acquired a house next to Yankurije, a tomato farmer. One day, his chicken strayed into Yankurije’s farm, eating her tomatoes.The latter took the matter hard and dragged her new neighbour to local authorities. A fine of Rwf5,000 was issued, but it only severed further the rift between the duo.While appearing before the Supreme Court on Monday, Bucyana told the three-member panel presided over by the Deputy Chief Justice Zainabu Kayitesi, that he had no intention to kill."After the fine, I was beaten up by goons, whom I suspected had been hired by Yankurije,” Bucyana told the court. "I ran to my house and as a way of scaring them off, I asked for a machete. But honestly, I had no machete in my house.”However, Prosecutor Beatrice Ntawangundi said Bucyana intentionally got drunk with a plan of murdering Yankurije. The court will rule on the matter on February 8.