Masaka Ritual-Murder Suspects Charged With Murder and Human Trafficking, Remanded to November 5
Two men held over suspected serial ritual murders in Masaka, Uganda, have been charged over a woman's killing in September; police say older murder files are under review.
Published
The main suspect in what Ugandan police call a series of suspected ritual murders around Masaka has been charged with murder and human trafficking and sent to prison to await the next hearing. Court coverage reported on October 16 and 17, 2026, that he and a co-accused had appeared before Masaka Grade One Magistrate Primer Kyomugisha and were remanded to Masaka Central Prison until November 5.
The court reports name the main suspect as Fred Mujulizi, also identified as Kulaish Kamugisha. When police announced his arrest on October 11, they gave his name as Kamugisha Kulaishi, a 38-year-old moneylender from Nyendo-Mukungwe. No police statement confirming that he is the Fred Mujulizi long sought over earlier killings in the region has been reported. The co-accused is Huzairuh Kyambadde, of Nkoni Trading Centre in Lwengo District.
According to the charge sheet, as reported, the two face two counts of murder and a count of human trafficking. Prosecutors allege that Mujulizi lured a woman with the promise of a relationship and killed her on September 28, and that Kyambadde procured the killing for witchcraft. Her head was found wrapped in a polythene bag at Kako Cell on September 29, and her body was later recovered at Butale Cell in Kyanamukaka. Police named her in their October 11 statement as Jackline Natukunda of Lukaya; the court coverage described her as unidentified.
Police have said the main suspect admitted the killing and told investigators he had been hired to obtain body parts. None of that has been tested in court, and neither man has entered a plea in any report.
Twaha Kasirye, the regional police spokesman, said investigators are reviewing the files on earlier murders to see whether Mujulizi was involved, that relatives of other victims have come forward, and that more charges could follow if the evidence supports them. The reports recall killings in Kyannamukaaka in 2012, in Kannabulemu in Kyotera District in 2013, and in Kijonjo in 2023; no charge over any of them has been reported.
Sources
- Masaka police reopen old murder files after arrest of suspected serial killer, Sanyu FM
- Two suspects arrested in connection with suspected serial ritual murders, Uganda Police Force