In a disturbing discovery, the dismembered remains of an unidentified woman have been found in a septic tank within Kampala’s Makindye Division.
Detectives believe the victim’s body was chopped into at least 18 pieces, marking the fifth such gruesome discovery in Makindye since 2019.
This division of Kampala, despite hosting some of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods like Munyonyo and Muyenga, has been characterized as a hotspot for crime.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, confirmed that two suspects are in custody in connection with the case.
One of them is the landlady of the premises where the dismembered body was discovered, while the other is a male tenant who could not provide a satisfactory explanation for blood stains in his room.
Witnesses reported that during the initial search on Monday, law enforcement officials recovered the chopped torso, leading them to believe that the victim may have been decapitated during her murder or shortly afterward.
Subsequent investigations led to the discovery of the victim’s head, although her nose and ears were found to be severed and placed inside a broken Black Label whisky bottle, which was buried in a polythene bag a short distance from the rental properties.
Notably, the private parts of the victim were missing, raising questions about whether this was a ritualistic murder or motivated by other factors.
Patrick Onyango stated that the prime suspects are currently detained at Katwe Police Station while investigations continue.
The exact timing of the murder remains unclear, but some residents believe it occurred during the middle of the previous week.
One neighbor reported hearing a disturbance in the room of the male suspect, which they initially assumed to be a domestic altercation.
They were shocked by the subsequent arrest of the suspect in connection with the murder.
The horrifying discovery was made when a family member noticed a foul odor, leading them and the landlady, who is now in custody, to open the septic tank on the property.
Parts of the human body were found floating inside. The woman and her estranged husband live in different parts of the city, and their son, a football coach, had come to visit the mother in Kapeke Zone at the time of the discovery.
The remains of the victim have been transported to the city morgue in Mulago, awaiting an autopsy to determine the identity of the deceased and the cause of death.
Muhammad Musoke, the chairman of Kapeke Zone, described the condition of the body, noting that the private parts were missing. The investigation is being treated as a murder case by the police.