Lwengo police hunt for man over alleged murder, cannibalism

Police in Lwengo District are investigating circumstances under which a 27-year-old man reportedly killed and ate an unidentified woman.

Habasa Muzaffar, a resident of Kigeye B Village, Malongo Sub County in Lwengo District, is on the run after the remains of an unidentified woman were found inside his house.

It all started when a herdsman grazing cattle on land near the suspect’s house came across a sack containing a human skull and an arm.

The herdsman raised an alarm, which attracted locals to the scene. They conducted a search of the piece of land and found Habasa’s house. Upon entering, they found another severed hand, a weave, some identification documents, and several human bones.

Police, together with residents, have started a hunt for Habasa, who escaped after his house was attacked.

Mr Twaha Kasirye, the Southern Regional Police Spokesperson, has asked members of the public with any information about the suspect to report to police so that he can be brought to book.

Kasirye said police retrieved the bones and hands found in the suspect’s house and took them to the mortuary as investigations continue.

"We call upon anyone who could have lost a female friend or relative to come to the police and report, and see if she was the one murdered by the suspect whom he has been feasting on," he said.

He added that when police investigations are completed, the suspect is likely to face charges of murder and human cannibalism, among others.

As the search for Habasa intensifies, the question continues to linger in the minds of many Ugandans: are the cannibals real, or are they simply ghosts of a collective imagination?

For now, the answer remains hidden somewhere between myth, fear and the search for evidence.

Past incidents

In 2014, 13 suspected cannibals were arrested in connection with the murder of Peace Arinaitwe Kyomukama, 21, and her nine-month-old baby. The suspects were all charged with murder and attempted murder.

The incident occurred on March 22, 2014, at Kyakirugu Village in Kyalulangira Sub-County, Rakai District, when Kyomukama and her baby were hacked to death and chopped into pieces in the presence of her husband, Deus Bandihihi.

It is alleged that Bandihihi and his wife Arinaitwe, both residents of Kankamba Village in Kisekka Sub-County, Lwengo District, had gone to Rakai for a burial and could not travel back home at nightfall. They instead sought shelter for the night at Asaf Tumuhimbise’s house, where Arinaitwe and her baby were hacked to death. Bandihihi reportedly escaped with a deep cut on his arms.

MrBakibinga said the first three suspects Aloysius Kasujja 15, Peregrina Mpoza ,53 and Rameka Kaweesa ,62 were released on bail on August 15, 2014 by retired Masaka High Court judge ,Justice Kibuuka Musoke due to their poor health condition and one being a minor.

On March 19, 2014 one of the cannibal suspects identified as Elias Musujja reportedly committed suicide while still in cells at Masaka Central Police Station.