Residents of Kyesiiga sub-county in Masaka District are living in fear following an alarming rise in child kidnappings, with many cases linked to ritual sacrifice.
According to residents, led by the sub county Chairperson, Gordon Mayanja, several children have been abducted, with kidnappers allegedly demanding ransom from their families.
In case the families fail to pay, the children are killed.
In a recent incident, a child who had just completed Primary Seven was found dead with body parts missing—believed to have been taken for ritualistic purposes.
"We found the body without a tongue and private parts which means someone sacrificed her with intentions," said Hadijah Naggirinya child's care taker.
In another case, the discovery of a mutilated body in Katikamu Forest, Buliiro Parish, Kyesiiga sub-county, has left the community terrified.
The deceased, identified as Sharifah Kyogabiire, was allegedly murdered by unknown assailants.
Hadijah Naggirinya, a resident of Mitondo Village in Kyesiiga, revealed that she had been taking care of the child for the past two years.
The girl had been left in her care by her biological mother, Joselyne Ainembabazi, who was struggling to raise her.
Naggirinya explained that in November last year, shortly after Koyagbiire completed her Primary Seven exams, a man identified as Patrick Mugisha came forward, claiming to be the child’s father.
He took her away, stating that she would live with him in Kampala.
“We last saw her in November when Mugisha took her away, saying he was her father which even the child confirmed. Now, five months later, we hear she has been murdered and found dumped in a forest yet he told me that he is going to stay with her at Kampala where he and the mother resides,” Naggirinya recounted.
During a visit in February, Mugisha allegedly returned to Mitondo Islamic Primary School, where the studied, and picked up her Primary Seven results.
He reportedly informed the school that he had enrolled her at Nile Vocational School in Masaka City.
Naggirinya was devastated upon learning that the girl’s body was found in the forest, with her tongue and private parts removed—signs that she was a victim of ritual sacrifice.
“It is terrifying that her body was found mutilated, missing crucial body parts. This is not an ordinary murder—it was ritual sacrifice,” she said.
Adding to the mystery, Mugisha’s phone has been off since the incident, and Joselyne Ainembabazi, the girl’s mother, has also disappeared after being informed of her daughter’s murder.
Kyesiiga sub-county chairperson Gordon Mayanja Ssebuggwawo expressed concern over the increasing cases of child abduction and ritual killings in the area.
“Child kidnappings have become rampant in Kyesiiga, and most of the victims end up being sacrificed. This must stop,” Mayanja declared.
He called on security agencies to intensify investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice, warning parents to be extra cautious about their children’s whereabouts.