Police in Mityana district have arrested a man in connection with the murder of his girlfriend and the body’s burial in a garden.
Racheal Kawala, the Wamala Police region spokesperson, identified the murder victim as Lydia Kobusingye, 31.
According to Kawala, her body was retrieved from a shallow pit near a makeshift structure inside their garden.
Her body had been wrapped in a torn, old mosquito net, with her head tied with a polythene sack, suspected to have been used for suffocation before her body was buried.
“The territorial police in Mityana are holding a suspect in connection with the murder of 31-year-old Kobusingye, which took place in Kakonde-Katwe village, Bulamu parish, Bulera sub-county in Mityana district,” Kawala says in a statement.
Kawala says the suspect, Jackson Tumukunde, was the boyfriend of the deceased.
“On October 24, 2023, at 6:00 pm, a missing person’s report for Kobusingye was filed, prompting a search operation. On October 29, 2023, at about 11:00 am, Harriet Nanyonjo Nalongo discovered the deceased’s body buried in their shared garden in Kakonde-Katwe village, Mityana district. Police were informed of the incident, and our investigative teams visited and documented the crime scene,” she adds.
Kawala explained that relevant statements have been recorded.
“Preliminary findings suggest that Kobusingye was last seen with her boyfriend (the suspect) in the morning as they were preparing their garden together before her disappearance. It is alleged that the couple had a history of domestic disputes, even leading to a temporary separation, but they later reconciled,” she added.
She said Tumukunde is in custody at Mityana Central Police Station, while the body of the deceased has been transported to Mityana Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Kawala encouraged victims of domestic violence or abuse to report such incidents to the police.
