Young graduate goes missing in Entebbe, feared dead

By Paul Mukisa

Residents in Katabi near Entebbe town have reported a missing person after several days without tracing her. Josephine Najjuka, a businesswoman and salon owner was last seen at her salon on Friday, her neighbours say.

Najjuka, a university graduate from Makerere University joins a long a list of women who have been killed or gone missing in the last few months in the greater Entebbe region. The family is searching for her.

“We are worried about her disappearance because a lot of women have gone missing in the few weeks and have been found dead with their bodies mutilated. We pray that our sister is alive,” her brother James Ssejjuka said. “We are appealing to the Police and other security agencies to do anything they can to find our sister. We also appeal to Josephine if she is alive to send us any information if she can,” Ssejjuka added.

Some of her neighbours in Katabi who preferred not to be named due to fear of their personal safety said that that Najjuka was friends with some of the women who have since gone missing and found dead. “She was Rose Nakimuli’s friend, another salon owner who was found with her body mutilated. The people who killed Nakimuli might be the same people who have abducted Najjuka,” a neighbor said. “I am very worried for her life. I am also worried for myself. I can’t sleep in the same house two nights in a row. Police Chief Kale Kayihura should do something,” another neighbor said.

Between May and September 2017, at least 22 women were found grisly murdered in Wakiso District. These include Rose Nakimuli who is Najjuka’s friend, Sarah Nakajjo and harriet Nantongo all businesswomen in Wakiso District.

Police chief Kale Kayihura has vowed to find the murderers and bring them to book. He recently told journalists that “we have arrested 30 people and charged 13 of them with terrorism. We are on top of the situation.” Police Spokesman Asan Kasingye has blamed Najjuka’s disappearance on “organized criminal gang with strong links to ritual murders.” He also added that “domestic violence was to blame in some of the case.”