By: Kyalikampa Godfrey and Anatoly Mwesigwa

Kagadi

Police in Kagadi District have launched investigations into the murder of a boda-boda rider whose body was recovered from a forest three days after he went missing. The deceased has been identified as Musilamu Tamale, 20, a resident of Kiryanga Village in Kiryanga Sub-county.

Tamale was last seen on Friday at about 4:00 p.m. after picking up a female passenger on his Bajaj motorcycle. He never returned to his boda-boda stage, prompting relatives, fellow riders, and police to begin a search.

His body was discovered on Monday in Ruzaire Forest in Kabaseke Village, Kagadi District. It had bruises on the neck, legs, and hands, indicating that he may have been strangled before his body was dumped in the forest. The assailants are also believed to have fled with his motorcycle, which has not yet been recovered.

The LC I Chairperson of Kabaseke Village, Omuhereza Kugonza, described the killing as shocking and revealed that Tamale is the ninth person whose body has been recovered from Ruzaire Forest since the beginning of this year.

The Chairperson of the Kiryanga Boda-Boda Riders Stage, Daniel Tumwesigye, urged fellow riders to remain vigilant, especially when transporting unfamiliar passengers, particularly at night. He advised riders to always inform colleagues or stage leaders about their destinations and, where possible, avoid travelling alone to isolated or high-risk areas.

Kiryanga Sub-county Female District Councillor Leticia Nsungwa described the deceased as a hardworking and peace-loving young man. She also appealed to boda-boda riders to make it a habit to notify their stage leaders whenever they are transporting unfamiliar passengers to distant destinations.

Police visited and documented the crime scene before transporting the body to Kagadi General Hospital Mortuary for a postmortem examination. Investigations into the murder and the theft of the motorcycle are ongoing.