A family in Mundulusia village, Matayos Constituency, Busia County, is seeking justice after the body of their missing kin was found without legs, hands, tongue and private parts.
According to the family members, Gilbert Ojiambo, 58, disappeared two weeks ago after attending a burial ceremony in the area, prompting the family to launch a long search.
However, the body of Ojiambo was found by farmers dumped in a stream with legs, hands, tongues and private parts chopped off.
The family is demanding that police officers unravel the puzzle surrounding the murder, claiming that the late was last seen at one of the Chang’aa brews known as Bitu on May 16, last month.
A family spokesman, Hilary Ouma, alleged that the deceased was killed by people known to him, urging police to identify those behind the heinous act.
"He was in the company of his friends, and they were going to a chang’aa den as usual. We want police to ensure the culprits behind the murder are brought to book," said Ouma.
Ojiambo's son, Samwel Wanjala, urged locals to be calm and wait for the security apparatus to get to the bottom of the matter.
"My father died mysteriously, and we want the family members and locals to be patient and stop spreading unfounded information. As a family, our core plea to police is to establish those who chopped off the legs, hands, tongues and private parts of my father so that he can get justice," said Wanjala.
Githa Nabwire, the sister of the late, alleges that her brother was killed after he left the chang’aa den with his friends, maintaining that the death is linked to ritualism and cultism.
"We want the government and its security apparatus to unravel the puzzle surrounding the death of my brother. We are suspecting that his killers are after his body parts for ritualistic and cult purposes," said Auma.
She added, "We don't know how we will bury the remains because, traditionally, such death calls for elders' intervention, and we are waiting for the direction of our elders on how to handle the matter because cleansing must be done before the burial, as we suspect the involvement of supernatural powers."
Mundulusia village elder, Awinja Ojiambo, calls for patience and calmness from the locals to give police time to conclude their investigations.
However, the village elder decries many mushrooming illicit dens in the area that have sparked insecurity and even bizarre deaths.
"We need to collaborate as a community to ensure we curb the high cases of alcoholism because of the many chang’aa dens that are established in the area," said Awinja.
She added, "We have witnessed cases of mysterious death and a high rate of alcohol consumption, and we need to join hands together and fight this menace."
Western Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud said police have already launched investigations into the matter, vowing to crack down on illicit brew dens in the county and drug smuggling in the border county.
"Police are doing their investigations, and I want to assure the family that we will get to the bottom of this matter and hence justice for the dead," said Mohamud.
He added, "We have a multi-agency approach where we have launched a crackdown on illicit alcohol in the area and the manufacturers. Due to the porous nature of our border, we have cases of alcohol and drug smuggling in and out of Uganda and the Busia border, and we aim to put an end to such illegal activities that put the lives of our people at risk."
