Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
ANOTHER body with the head and private parts missing has been discovered in Busabala, Wakiso district, raising fears that ritual murders have regained momentum.
Residents first saw a swarm of flies alongside a path leading to a well in Kaabuma village. The path marks the boundary between Kaabuma and Kibiri village in Makindye Sabaggabo sub-county, near Kampala city.
On checking, the residents saw a human trunk. “We made an alarm and people gathered. We then called in the Police,” said Israel Ssentongo, the Busabala parish defence secretary, who was among the first people to arrive at the scene on Sunday morning.
Three suspects, all traditional healers in the area, were arrested yesterday with blood-stained clothes, according to the Police.
Police chief Kale Kayihura and the LC1 chairman of Busabala parish, John Kasule, after touring the murder scene
The Busabala murder comes hardly a day after a mutilated body was recovered from a stream in Mafubira zone, Jinja district. Similar to the Jinja case, the Busabala body had no head or private parts.
Katwe Police division CID chief Vincent Okurut said they suspect that the man was first disabled before being beheaded, as his right leg had a cut.
“He was slim. We believe he was a young man, perhaps in his 20s. He had no scar on his body. Apart from the torn blood-stained vest, the body was naked.”
The Police took the body to the city mortuary. The southeastern Police spokesperson, Samson Lubega, said two people turned up to claim the body.
“One came from Kampala and the other from Iganga. They came in at different times, but we have to first verify whether they are the bonafide claimants.” Lubega said the claimant from Kampala identified the deceased as Benon Bwayo while the other one from Iganga (only identified as Tezikoma) said the deceased was Kalibbala Gwayita. Lubega said they would carry out a DNA test to ascertain the relatives.
Police chief Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura visited the scene of crime in Kaabuma yesterday and said they would involve the residents in community policing to fight crime. He said they were investigating whether the new wave of murders was for ritual purposes, for human organs or due to other reasons.
“The murderers may cut off their victims’ body parts to make it look like a ritual murder yet it is not.”
Kayihura urged residents with information to give it to the Police, saying it would be treated with confidentiality. But the residents told the Police boss that some of his officers expose their identities on top of harshly interrogating them when they report criminals.
A vividly angered Kayihura asked the residents to expose such unprofessional officers so he could discipline them.
None of the accused officers was present. Kayihura gave the residents his cell phone number (0712755999) and asked them to report any misconduct through short messages (SMS).
A resident, Abbas Kiwanuka, told Kayihura that there was a growing wave of crime in Busabala, adding that he had on several occasions chased thieves at his home but he still lost 300 chicken to the thugs.
Kayihura announced that he would directly oversee the team investigating ritual murders.
“In 2009, we formed a unit to investigate ritual murders. They did some work and the murders had reduced since mid last year. But the cases are coming back again. I am joining this team because they need to be guided especially in the methods of work.”
The Busabala murder is the third of its nature since the beginning of this month. The other case was the murder of a one-year-old boy, Kham Kakama, from Bugolobi.
Kayihura disclosed that the Police and the department of chemotherapeutics in Wandegeya would screen traditional practitioners.?
“We are going to scientifically distinguish whether someone is a genuine traditional healer or not by subjecting them to tests regarding the way they use medicine to treat diseases on top of checking whether they are registered.”
Kayihura later met with traditional healers in Busabala and visited their shrines
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