Category Archives: Kabaka of Buganda

Uganda Crime Report reveals: In 2025, on average, a ritual murder victim was discovered every week, often a child

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The Ugandan press and the national as well as regional and local authorities are pretty open in publishing confirmed and suspected cases of murders for ritualistic purposes. First of all, I would like to compliment these institutions on this.

This openness may suggest that ritual murders occur more frequently in this East African country than in other African countries. However, this conclusion is premature unless it is based on comparative research and takes certain caveats into account. However, notwithstanding the foregoing, we can say that Uganda is a country where ritual murders occur frequently. Human sacrifice for ritualistic motives and notably child sacrifice is a plague in this country. The Prevention and Prohibition of Human Sacrifice Act (adopted in 2021), which explicitly permits the death penalty for perpetrators of ritual murders (human sacrifices) and the financing thereof, haven’t had the envisaged deterrent effect. Last year, on Christmas Eve, in his annual Christmas message, the Kabaka of Buganda 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.

In an earlier post in 2024, I reported that the number of reported murders for ritualistic purposes in the 2021 – 2023 period were 46 (2021), 72 (2022) and 84 (in 2023). In other words, the frequency of reported ritual murders nearly doubled between 2021 and 2023.  Moreover, only 11 cases out of the 84 reported ritual murders in 2023 resulted in the prosecution of the suspected perpetrators.

In March this year, Uganda’s Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) published its 2025 Annual Crime Report covering a broad array of crimes. We’ll focus here on the present website’s topic, ritualistic murders.

Compared to 2023 there was a decrease in the number of reported ritual murders cases in 2025 (unfortunately, data for 2024 are lacking). In 2025 there were 61 reported cases – hence an average of 5 murders each month, or one ritual murder discovered each week – every week, throughout the year… A harrowing thought.

Generally speaking, the highest incidence of murders (all categories combined) was reported in Kyegegwa District (67 cases), followed by Mubende and Kyenjojo with 58 cases each, Rukungiri with 54, and Oyam with 53. It would be interesting to analyze the CDI report to determine whether there is a correlation between regionally reported murder cases and the frequency of ritual-related crimes.
(webmaster FVDK)

2025 CDI Crime report: 25 Ugandans die daily in murders

Published: March 31, 2026
By: URN, Uganda

At least 25 Ugandans died daily from murders and road crashes in 2025, according to the annual crime report compiled by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID).

The report shows that 4,328 people were deliberately killed, translating into an average of 11 murders per day. Assault was the leading cause of killings, accounting for 1,326 deaths, followed by mob action with 950 cases.

Other causes of murder included strangulation (415 cases), hacking (338), stabbing (292), assault using blunt objects (289), domestic violence (208), shooting (190), poisoning (111), ritual sacrifice (61), and arson (58).

Regionally, Kyegegwa District recorded the highest number of murders at 67 cases, followed by Mubende and Kyenjojo with 58 cases each, Rukungiri with 54, and Oyam with 53.

Infographic showing murders by cause and districts 

CID director Maj Tom Magambo said overall crime registered a 10.2 per cent drop between 2022 and 2025, indicating a consistent downward trend.

Meanwhile, traffic police reported 4,602 fatal crashes in 2025, resulting in 5,383 deaths — an average of 14 fatalities per day. The figure represents a 4.7 per cent increase from the 5,144 deaths recorded in 2024.

Serious injuries rose by 8.4 per cent from 17,013 in 2024 to 18,444 in 2025, while minor injuries increased slightly from 3,651 to 3,668. However, total crashes dropped to 322,441 in 2025 from 426,632 in 2024.

December recorded the highest number of crashes at 2,443, while June registered the lowest at 1,978. Fatalities peaked in October with 523 deaths and were lowest in June at 390.

Director of Traffic and Road Safety AIGP Lawrence Nuwabine attributed the rise in fatalities to increased travel demand, particularly during festive periods.

Inspector General of Police Abas Byakagaba said police will fully implement the sub-county policing model to further reduce crime, which currently stands at 56 per cent nationwide.

“Other initiatives like CCTV cameras, enhanced K9 and forensic services, and targeted operations have contributed to a 10.2 per cent crime reduction in 2025, compared to 4.1 per cent in 2024,” Byakagaba said.

Overall, police-recorded cases dropped from 218,715 in 2024 to 196,405 in 2025. Of these, 79,291 cases were taken to court involving 99,004 accused persons, while 31,732 suspects were convicted.

Source: Crime report: 25 Ugandans die daily in murders, road crashes

Uganda: Kabaka of Buganda condemns ritual killings

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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.

Read the full story below.
(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