Man arrested with girl’s head at Parliament charged, remanded to prison

The man accused of killing a four-year- old girl and took the head to Parliament as a ‘gift’ to the Speaker has been remanded to Masaka Main Prison.

Joseph Nuwashaba, 22, appeared before Masaka Grade One Magistrate Grace Wakooli on Friday before he was charged with murder.

Prosecution alleges that on September 13, 2020 at Kijjabwemi A Village, Masaka City, Nuwashaba murdered Faith Kyamagero, a daughter of Charles Ssenyonga, dumped the torso in a nearby Kumbu Forest Reserve and later took the head to Parliament where he was intercepted by police. Nuwashaba was a casual labourer at Ssenyonga’s home.

He was charged with three counts; murder, aggravated defilement and trafficking in children for purposes of human sacrifice.

However, the magistrate did not allow Nuwashaba to take plea since court does not have the jurisdiction to hear the case against him.

“You don’t have to take plea before this court because it has no jurisdiction to hear the above counts. It is only the High Court that has powers and that is where you will be able to ask for bail if you so wish,” Ms Wakooli said.

Ms Wakooli remanded Nuwashaba until October 12, 2020 when he will return to court for mention of his case.

Days before the suspect appeared in court, police detectives took him to Ssenyonga’s home to help detectives reconstruct the scene and trail of crime.

Here, Nuwashaba told the detectives that it is where he got Kyamagero and took her to Kumbu Forest Reserve located about 500 metres away. A few minutes later, Nuwashaba led the team to the actual spot   where he cut off Kyamagero’s head before dumping the torso in the forest. He also confirmed to detectives that he stole Shs80, 000 from Mr Ssenyonga’s home, part of which he used as transport from Masaka to Kampala.

However, Nuwashaba did not explain to detectives the means of transport he used to go to Kampala and the motive of the killing.

Masaka Sub region  has a history of ritual murders and human sacrifices.

For instance on October 27 ,2008, a famous business man Kato Kajubi was arrested for hiring a witch-doctor Umar Kateregga and his wife Mariam Nabukeera to kill a 12 year- old boy, Joseph Kasirye who was a pupil at Kayugi primary school at Mukungwe sub-county Masaka District. Kajjubi was later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment .

Three years ago, police in Kyotera District arrested a woman who had sold a one-day-old baby to a witch doctor in neighboring Tanzania after giving birth at Kalisizo hospital.

On April 20 2016, residents of Kabaseke Village Rakai District landed on the remains of four children who were killed in ritual murders Among the victims was Aisha Namayanja ,12 , who had disappeared a month earlier .