Ssebuyungo was arrested together with three other witch doctors. Others arrested were identified as Juniro Kibuuka, Fred Kiiza Semanda and Muhammed Wamala and were all taken to Naggalama Police Station.

According to the Naggalama Division police commander in Mukono, Ms Jesca Naawe, all the accused are to appear before court on murder cases.

Owen Ssebuyungo aged 27Digging out bodies in his shrine: Courtesy Photo

The operation was jointly masterminded by Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) operatives and police from Mukono District on Saturday after a complaint by relatives of the late Zulayika Mirembe (whose body was recovered from his shrine) after her disappearance in May..

One of the bodies is of a woman and the rest are of male adults and were all dug up from three shallow graves in Ssebuyungo’s grass-thatched shrine.

“Two bodies of males had been buried in one grave, while four others were buried in separate graves but with clothes the deceased were wearing when they met their death,” Ms Naawe explained.

Naawe added that all graves were well cemented and each body was buried with a Shs5,000 note. Police also recovered spears, and pots containing what is suspected to be human blood.

Blood samples were picked to be taken to the Government Analytical Laboratory while the bodies, which had decomposed beyond recognition, were taken to Mulago hospital for DNA testing.

Ms Naawe advised residentswhose people went missing to consult with the police.

Mirembe’s story

“Mirembe had earlier been arrested by Naggalama police on allegations of stealing a child. But after investigations and DNA test were carried out on both her and the child, it was discovered that Mirembe was the true biological mother and the child was handed over to her,” a military intelligence operative said.

It is through this incident that she, Mirembe, befriended an officer at Naggalama Police Station whom she later approached and shared her failure to get married because she was always attacked by evil spirits.

“It was at this point that the police officer directed her to Ssebuyungo, whom the police officer had also known because he had interacted with him on two occasions,” the CMI operative said.
It is alleged that Mirembe proceeded to Ssebuyungo’s shrine for assistance. Ssebuyungo is said to have consulted his “spiritual consultant” (one of the detained suspects) who advised him to kill the woman on second visit.

According to Police reports the “spiritual consultant” told Ssebuyungo that he would get a lot of riches if he cut off the head of a woman. The suspects reportedly told police that they welcomed Mirembe to the shrine and waited for nightfall when they cut off her head and buried the body at the shrine.

When Mirembe disappeared in May, her relatives reported a case of kidnap to Naggalama Police Station. Ssebuyungo was arrested but for some unclear reasons, he was released on bond. Mirembe’s relatives petitioned CMI, which rearrested Ssebuyungo.