By KT Reporter
A mother of two missing children in Mpigi District, Teopista Nassolo, has appealed to the Uganda Police Force to conduct DNA tests on human remains recovered from the shrine of traditional healer Ivan Muwanga. Nassolo said on Wednesday that her children, Regina Nakityo and Ismail Ssenyonjo, went missing earlier this year, and all efforts to trace them had been unsuccessful. She fears that her children could be among the remains of both adults and children discovered at Muwanga’s shrine.
Police arrested Muwanga on Tuesday and returned him to the shrine on Wednesday, where he indicated locations where bodies had been buried. During exhumation, police recovered two fresh adult bodies and body parts believed to belong to children. Skulls of children and adults, along with other human remains, were also unearthed, some stored in sacks.
“I have been hoping to find my children alive, but that hope has now faded. I feel that my children are among those killed and buried at Muwanga’s shrine. I request the police to conduct DNA tests so that I can know whether any of the remains belong to my children,” Nassolo said.
She added that her niece disappeared around the same time, and she fears that every missing child in Kamengo may have ended up inside the shrine. Local residents have called on police to continue searching the area so that the 12 children reported missing over the past five years can be accounted for.
Gertrude Nakamoga, a resident, said the community had long known Muwanga as a traditional doctor and never suspected he could be involved in killings. “We now believe that all the missing children in this area were killed by him. Some of the bodies were fresh yet treated in a way that made them not smell. He has brought shame to our community and should never be allowed to return,” she said.
Lydia Tumushabe, the Katonga Regional Police spokesperson, said Muwanga’s activities were exposed by concerned neighbors, prompting his arrest. “Once police spotted the bodies, we returned with adequate manpower and compelled him to reveal all burial sites. Two bodies have been exhumed, and more than six skulls along with other suspected human bones have been recovered. All remains have been taken to Mulago City Mortuary for further examination,” she explained.
Tumushabe urged people with missing relatives to come forward and assist police investigations. Authorities confirmed that DNA tests will be conducted to identify the relatives of the bodies and body parts recovered from Muwanga’s shrine.
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