Ritual killings in Uganda are rampant. I have frequently paid attention to this scourge which terrifies the population of this East-African country. In the current year alone I published eight posts on ritualistic crimes. According to official sources, police recorded at least 78 cases of ritual killings in 2024 (NB: more the one every week!), up from 62 cases in 2023 and 49 in 2022. Reportedly, children make up a significant proportion of the victims. However, it cannot be excluded that reported cases are only the tip of the iceberg. Human right groups in Uganda claim that many ritual murder cases go unreported (see below).

In his 2025 annual Christmas message, the Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, commented on the growing number of children who were reported missing and were later found dead, brutally murdered, and in some cases with body parts missing.

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(webmaster FVDK)

Kabaka Condemns Ritual Killings and Urges Protection of Children

The Kabaka also warned about the return of violent criminal gangs, including machete-wielding attackers who target people at night, saying the combination of ritual killings and organised crime had heightened insecurity.

Published: December 23, 2025
By: Geoffrey Omara – Chimp Reports, Uganda

The Kabaka of Buganda, Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II, has strongly condemned the rise in ritual killings in Uganda, especially those involving children, warning that the resurgence of such crimes is spreading fear in communities and threatening public safety.

In his annual Christmas message, the cultural monarch said there were growing reports of children going missing and later being found brutally murdered, with some cases involving mutilation.

“We continue to hear reports of people whose children disappear and never return. Later we read in newspapers that some children are brutally killed and their body parts cut off,” the Kabaka said, adding that many Ugandans had believed such acts were a thing of the past.

“We thought these crimes had ended, but they have resurfaced again,” he said.

Uganda Police Force data shows that ritual murders remain a serious concern.

According to the force’s latest annual crime report, police recorded at least 78 cases of ritual killings in 2024, up from 62 cases in 2023 and 49 in 2022. Police say children make up a significant proportion of the victims. (italics and bold letter type added by the webmaster FVDK).

Authorities have linked many of the killings to criminal networks exploiting beliefs in quick wealth or power through human sacrifice, with cases reported mainly in rural districts across central and eastern Uganda.

The Kabaka also warned about the return of violent criminal gangs, including machete-wielding attackers who target people at night, saying the combination of ritual killings and organised crime had heightened insecurity.

He urged parents and communities to take extra precautions to protect children, particularly during the festive season.

Children

“We appeal to everyone to be vigilant and to protect ourselves and our children, especially during this festive period,” he said.

The monarch called on security agencies to step up efforts to protect citizens and their property, warning that failure to act decisively emboldens criminals and erodes public trust.

“Protecting life is a shared duty,” he said, stressing the importance of moral upbringing, community vigilance and cooperation between cultural institutions, local leaders and the state.

Uganda outlawed ritual sacrifice under the Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Act, but rights groups say enforcement gaps remain and many cases go unreported due to fear of reprisals. (italics and bold letter type added by the webmaster FVDK).

Source: Kabaka Condemns Ritual Killings, Urges Protection of Children