Police pathologists have exhumed the body suspected to be that of a Naalya Secondary School student, allegedly killed by unknown assailants and buried without a post-mortem report, from a cemetery in Kayunga District.
The decomposing body, believed to be that of 15-year-old Melisa Aneza, was discovered in Musaale Swamp, Namulaba Village, Kyampisi Sub-county, Mukono District. Under the scorching afternoon sun, police hired three youth to dig up the shallow grave under the supervision of investigators. A scene-of-crime officer seized mobile phones from everyone present, including the deceased’s mother and police officers, during the exhumation.
The operation, which lasted about an hour, filled the area with a strong stench, prompting officials at the district headquarters to temporarily leave their offices. Investigators carried the body in a polythene bag to a police pick-up vehicle, which transported it away for further examination.
A neighbour near the cemetery, who wished to remain anonymous, said she saw three men carrying the body on a motorcycle before digging a grave and burying it.
‘People usually come and bury unclaimed bodies, so we don’t question it when we see them,’ she said.
She added that the cemetery is full to capacity, forcing new graves to be dug in old ones.
‘Sometimes dogs roam here and dig up shallow graves,’ she said.
Officers at Kayunga Central Police Station declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding the burial. Mr Yekus Musujja, the Kyampisi Childcare Ministries case management officer, who witnessed the exhumation, said the NGO would work with the family to provide counselling services. ‘We are going to work with the police to ensure this case is thoroughly investigated and suspects are apprehended and taken to court,’ he said.
Aneza was reported missing by her mother, Sarah Kamuganga, at Kikoni B Police Station in Wandegeya, Kampala. The case was later transferred to Wandegeya Police Station for further investigation.
She had been living with her mother during a school suspension from October 28 to November 4, when she was due to return to school. On the day she went missing, Aneza was supposed to meet her father, Mr Martin Anogyerire, who was to take her back to school. It remains unclear whether she was targeted as she left home or followed on her way to meet her father. Investigators have asked the family to exercise patience as police await DNA results to confirm the identity of the remains. The body was taken to City Mortuary, Mulago, for further examination.