Law enforcement authorities in Kampala have uncovered the remains of an unidentified woman, her body cruelly severed into at least 18 pieces, hidden within a septic tank situated in the city’s Makindye Division. This chilling discovery marks the fifth such macabre incident in Makindye since 2019, shedding light on a district often associated with wealth but plagued by criminal activities.

Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Mr. Patrick Onyango, confirmed that two individuals are currently in custody: the landlady of the property where the dismembered body was found and a male tenant who could not account for the presence of bloodstains within his rented room.

According to witnesses, during the initial search on Monday, authorities recovered the mutilated torso, raising suspicions that the victim had been decapitated either during her murder or shortly thereafter. Mr. Onyango stated, “On Monday, our officers at Katwe Police Station visited the crime scene with the police fire brigade and retrieved some body parts from the septic tank, but some body parts like the head were still missing.”

On the following day, crime scene officers made a gruesome discovery: the victim’s head was located, but her nose and ears had been severed and placed inside a broken Black Label whisky bottle, concealed within a polythene bag buried a short distance from the rental properties.

The investigation has raised unsettling questions, as the victim’s private parts were found to be missing, leading to speculation regarding the motive behind the murder. Authorities are considering whether this may have been a ritualistic killing or driven by other sinister motives.

Mr. Onyango assured the public that the prime suspects are in custody at Katwe Police Station, emphasizing that the investigation is ongoing.

The exact timeline of the crime remains unclear, but some residents suggest it may have occurred during the middle of the previous week. A neighbor, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the case, reported hearing a disturbance in the male suspect’s room, which was initially assumed to be a domestic dispute. The subsequent arrest of the male tenant came as a shock to many.

The discovery of the dismembered body was prompted by a horrendous odor that led a family member and his mother, currently in custody, to inspect the septic tank on the property. Their visit revealed floating human body parts, which prompted them to alert the authorities.

For legal reasons, the suspects’ names are not disclosed. The estranged couple, the detained woman and her husband, reside in different parts of the city, and their son, a football coach, had been visiting the mother in Kapeke Zone at the time of the gruesome discovery.

Muhammed Musoke, the chairman of Kapeke Zone, described the victim’s body as “cut into different pieces,” with some parts wrapped in a gunny bag and others concealed in a red coat believed to belong to the male suspect.

The remains have been transported to the city morgue in Mulago, awaiting autopsy to determine the victim’s identity and cause of death. While it is too early to predict when, or if, the suspects will face court proceedings, the authorities are treating this case as a homicide.

The unsettling pattern of bodies found in septic tanks in the Makindye Division over the years has left the community deeply concerned and underscores the need for comprehensive investigations and heightened security measures.