By Insight Post Uganda
Rakai-Uganda
Kyakirugu, is a humble village found deep in the hills of Kibaale sub-county in Rakai district (Southwestern Uganda). The community is known for its lush banana plantations and rocky terrain which contribute to the area’s rugged, unrefined beauty.
A decade ago, the tranquillity of this village was brutally shattered by an incident similar to a scene from the horror movie, ‘The Wrong Turn’. Its terrifying nature continues to haunt not just the memories of those who witnessed it, but also leaves a lasting impact on the neighbouring communities and the entire district.
Fateful day
It’s March 23, 2014, and the darkness is foreboding in Kyakirugu. Deus Bandihihi Kamuniini and his wife, Peace Kyomukama Arinitwe, trudge through the hills and rocks on their way back home from a burial.
They are hoping to reach the safety of their village, Kazinga, in Kyalulangira before nightfall. But fate has other plans for the young couple and their nine-month-old baby. As darkness descends, they find themselves trapped in a dilemma yet they have no shelter.
Since they could not proceed with their journey, Bandihihi and Arinitwe decided to find a place to retire for the night so as to proceed with their journey the following day. In their search, they stumbled upon what they thought was a friendly home.
Their host, Asaf Tumuhimbise, presented himself as the chairperson of Kyakirugu Local Council (LCI). Little did they know that they had just walked into the bloodthirsty hands of their host.
Shortly thereafter, Tumuhimbise asked Bandihihi to collect dried banana leaves from a nearby plantation to spread on the dusty floor before laying out a mat or mattress. He obeyed without any knowledge of the impending danger. While he was away, his host cunningly summoned members of his notorious group in the neighbourhood.
Before they could even comprehend the danger they were in, Arinitwe and her baby were attacked, and hacked by a group of savages. The piercing screams for assistance prompted Bandihihi to return and check on his wife and child.
To his shock, he found a group of men armed with machetes in the act of butchering Arinitwe and their infant child. He was noticed by one of the attackers, who swung a machete in his direction, narrowly missing his head but causing serious injury to his right palm and fingers.
They pursued him for approximately an hour without success. Trembling, Bandihihi found a hiding spot where he remained paralyzed with shock and unable to move. The assailants considered him fortunate to have escaped their hard-to-flee territory.
He watched as the bodies of Arinitwe and her baby were dragged out and placed on banana leaves that had been laid in the courtyard. He could see what was going on since the assailants used lamps and torches while dismembering the bodies into small pieces.
After the gang members had distributed the remains amongst themselves, Erias Musujja (who was later identified) loaded some of the body parts onto a motorcycle and departed for an undisclosed location.
As for Tumuhimbise’s wife, Joziveriti Nuwagaba, she purportedly cooked some of the “meat” for the family before they retired for the night.
Around 5:45 am, at daybreak, Bandihihi discerned that he wasn’t too distant from the road due to the noise of motorcycles and clusters of students. He ran until he reached the road, where the students he met directed him to the true village chairperson.
Around 10 am, the furious locals, who were aware of Tumuhimbise’s cannibalistic tendencies, swarmed into his residence and razed it to the ground. They also obliterated his plantation and slaughtered all of his livestock. All of this took place while Tumuhimbise was nowhere to be found.
The gruesome incident shook the village of Kyakirugu and surrounding communities in Kyalulangira to its core. It left behind only a haunting memory of a young family brutally ripped away from their loved ones.
Since then, the village has become a place of fear and unease, a no-go zone for strangers and visitors. The memory of the gruesome incident has left a deep scar on the community, and the mystery of what happened to the missing body parts remains unsolved.
Yet even as the villagers struggle to move on, the memory of the tragedy lingers, casting a shadow over the once-peaceful hills of Kyakirugu.
Suspects Arrested
Detectives arrested fourteen individuals, and they have been formally accused of murder and attempted murder under the case reference number CRB-RKI 474/14.
The suspects include Asafu Tumuhimbise (50), Erias Musujja (30), Joziveriti Nuwagaba (38), Aloyisius Kasujja (15), Bosco Ssegirinya (59), Alex Ssebala (20), Mike Kabito (24), Ronald Ssebufu (25), Peregirino Mpozza (54), and Alex Ssemyalo (29). Others were Edward Kalema (37) Rameka Kaweesa (52), Ismail Ssekyanzi (42), Elimerida Nalubega (46) and Anna Maria Nabukenya.
However, the investigation faced a setback when Musujja, a crucial suspect who had transported the victim’s body on a motorcycle, died by hanging himself in a cell at Masaka Police Station a few days later. The circumstances surrounding his suicide remain unclear.
On April 11, 2014, the suspects were remanded to Masaka Government Prison. However, on August 15 of the same year, Justice Kibuuka Musoke of Masaka High Court granted bail to three of the suspects.
The basis for the bail was that they were either sick or minors. The suspects released on bail include Aloysius Kasujja (15), Mpoza Peregrina (53), Joziveriti Nuwagaba, and Rameka Kaweesa (62).
In October 2014, eight additional suspects were granted bail after six months in remand without trial. However, they have since absconded from bail, leaving only one suspect, Anna Maria Nabukenya, still in custody and seeking justice.
During a visit to Masaka Prison in April 2019 by the Justice Law and Order Sector (JLOS) Integrated Committee led by Medard Nyahabwe, Nabukenya expressed her desire for justice, stating that she had not been tried in court and that her co-accused jumping bail was not her fault.
According to Uganda Prisons spokesperson Frank Baine, Nabukenya appeared in the Criminal Session in Masaka on December 16, 2021, and her case was dismissed.
Hiccups In The Case
However, the case suffered multiple setbacks due to the delayed report and exhibits that were held up at the Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory (DGAL) in Kampala for some time.
The prosecution team also claim that the case was also impacted by the early release of the suspects before the report and exhibits were returned, and the police have been unable to locate the scattered suspects since their release.
Suspect’s Account
Some of the accused individuals denied being involved in the crime. They claim that the police arrested them without any proper investigation, simply because they happened to visit their family members at the Kibaale Police station where the incident was being investigated.
One of the suspects explains that his only mistake was visiting his brother, who had unknowingly hired his motorcycle to someone named Mujulizi who purportedly used the motorcycle to transport the ‘human flesh’ to an unknown location.
He went to the police station to inquire about the situation but was immediately arrested and tagged to the crime and a list of suspects.
“My innocence was shattered by inadequately trained police detectives who were determined to quickly solve a complex case. In doing so, they treated us as mere pawns on a chessboard to achieve their victory. The painful memories linger, as my identity, as a respected farmer and businessman became tarnished,” he recounts.
However, he believes the system is corrupted and feels great resentment towards the government because they have lost their families, friends, and belongings due to these false accusations.
The shame they carry is so overwhelming that they avoid associating with their own children to prevent bringing them any disgrace and blocking their future opportunities.
“It’s indeed heartbreaking to think about those who lost their lives and never received justice due to the incompetence of the detectives involved,” he says, noting that the consequences of their actions extend beyond the immediate victims, affecting families, friends, and communities left without an answer and resolution.
In such cases, he adds, the pain and frustration can be overwhelming for all those affected by the tragedy.
Key Witness Presumed Dead
Bandihihi is the key witness in the case against 13 suspects in the case. But he has gone missing since February 2015.
According to the office of the Regional Deputy Director of Prosecution, the key state witness disappeared which paralysed the proceedings of the case. “Also, twelve suspects disappeared and they have never been traced,” the official we found explained.
Different reporters visited Kazinga village and established the alleged disappearance and death was a hoax. The concerned residents said that he is a menace to their community.
The residents are certain that he is alive and terrorising different communities. They cited several incidents where they pounced on him and beat him up for animal and chicken theft.
“He disappears for some weeks and returns son weeks and returns to the village,” William Kutamba, one of the area residents says.
Justice System
The apparent conclusion of this case without any accountability for the perpetrators has left the family of the deceased mother and her baby with no closure, and justice will never be served.
This highlights the urgent need for a re-evaluation of the justice system to ensure that justice is served to all victims and their families, and perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.
“We must all work together to build a justice system that upholds the rule of law and delivers justice for all,” – a rights defender.
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