The Police in Kalungu district has arrested four people based on the allegations of exhuming and trading in human remains.
The suspects are Deogratius Lukowe, 40, his wife Yudaya Namatovu, 30, businesswoman Regina Nakyanzi and Dan Wassajja of Lutente village in Lukaya town council.
According to reports, It is alleged that the couple would exhume, crush and grind the human bones into fine powder, and sell it to their clients in the Greater Masaka region, other parts of the country as well as Tanzania. Led by local authorities, the residents conducted an operation to recover the missing remains which had been stolen.
Lutente LCI chairman, Farouk Buyondo said the couple were using their shamba-boy Wassajja to exhume the remains. He noted that trouble stemmed from failure to pay Wassajja for the exhumation job on different occasions which annoyed him.
Wassaja later informed the local authorities to help him get his payments. Shortly after their arrest, Lukowe revealed that Nakyanzi had contracted them to supply her with the human bones and powder.
Muhammad Nsubuga, the Southern regional police spokesperson, confirmed the arrest saying a file SD Ref.10/01/2021 has been opened up for investigation. Nsubuga explains that they are working with members of the affected families to ensure they get justice.
Discovered with the suspects are remains of more than four people. The affected family members led by Ibrahim Mivule, Sulaiti Bakulumpagi, Mwajuma Nakabuubi, and others say it will take a long process to identify the remains of their loved ones because they were mixed and parts ground to powder.
