The body of a 17-year-old girl from Bujumba in Butula Constituency within Busia County was found on Tuesday in a maize plantation in the area after she went missing on Saturday.
The hands of the deceased were chopped off, head, shoulder had deep cuts and acid had been poured on the body. Steven Otieno said his niece left on Saturday at around 2 pm to collect water from a stream but she did not return home.
Efforts to recover the Standard seven girl bore no fruits until her body was found in the maize belonging to the neighbour. Otieno said the incident was not the first one to be reported in Bujumba as a few years ago a man was also killed in a similar way and his tongue removed.
Some witchcraft paraphernalia were found near the body of the girl. “We are requesting police to move with speed, carry out an investigation and arraign the suspect,” said Otieno.
“The first incident happened but we did not see anybody being prosecuted despite police promising us that they would investigate and arraign suspects,” he added. Angry residents of Bujumba torched the homestead of suspect’s mother in revenge following the death of the minor who was a pupil at Bujumba primary.
“When we stormed the home of the suspect we discovered households already been removed and hidden because they knew what they had done,” said one of the locals.
They blamed the local provincial administrators of allegedly being unable to enhance security in Bujumba. Butula Deputy County Commissioner Winston Murunge said the suspect he said was a ‘young man’ was on the run but police are pursuing him.
“The girl had injuries when police went to collect and take to the mortuary, we have launched investigation and police are searching for the suspect,” said Murunge.
He called on members of the public to share with police information on the whereabouts of the man so that he can face the law. Elsewhere a body of a woman was found near Obekai in Teso South. The son to the deceased James Okedi said his mother left home on Tuesday afternoon before her body was found beside the road without any injuries. Police led by Adongosi OCS collected the body from the scene and took to it to the mortuary at Alupe Sub County hospital.