Uganda: Series of murders targeting women in Wakiso

Event

The US Embassy in Kampala has reported that over 20 young women were murdered in areas around Katabi, Entebbe, and Nansana (Wakiso district) between April and September. Investigations into the murders are ongoing and have resulted in dozens of arrests. However, according to local media reports, further homicides have taken place since those suspects were taken into custody. Ugandan police forces suspect that an organized criminal gang is responsible.

Residents of Katabi have responded to the killings by organizing community policing activities for protection. In addition to such community policing, heightened state security measures are anticipated in Wakiso district in the coming weeks.

Context

Ugandan MPs voted to indefinitely suspend parliament on September 5 until the Ugandan Minister of Internal Affairs and other internal security officials published a report on the killings and the assailants' potential motives; parliament was suspended for two days following the vote. Additionally, people protesting the perceived inability of Ugandan authorities to solve the murders were arrested in Kampala on September 25. In most of the reported cases, the women murdered were apparently strangled, disfigured, and raped.

Domestic violence and ritualistic murder used in witchcraft are among the most frequently proposed explanations for the yet unexplained murders.

Advice

Individuals in Wakiso district, especially women, are advised to exercise heightened vigilance, employ basic security precautions (e.g. keep signs of wealth concealed, drive with doors locked and windows rolled up, etc.), and report suspicious behavior to local authorities.