Boy kidnapped by shamba boy found alive and unharmed in Wakiso

WAKISO - Abraham Mpirwe Tumwesigye, a six-year-old who was kidnapped by his parents' shamba boy last Friday, has been found alive by a joint security team.

He was found abandoned in Busukuma, Wakiso district, Police said on Friday (December 19), exactly a week after his disappearance triggered a desperate search for the young boy.

Tumwesigye's captor, identified as David Muchunguzi, remains at large.

The resident of Kawempe division in Kampala was employed as a shamba boy by Dr Emmanuel Tumwesigye.

He left with the boy to an unknown destination and did not return, sparking fears for the life of his young victim.

A case of kidnapping was reported at Universal Police Post in Kisaasi.

Police had urged the public to share with them any information regarding the whereabouts of the suspect or the victim to aid investigations and the safe recovery of the child.

A week after the disappearance, Tumwesigye was found alive and well by the Flying Squad under the Directorate Crime Intelligence in collaboration with the Defence Intelligence Security (formerly CMI).

The kidnapper had ran away, leaving behind a motorcycle belonging to the boy's family that he had used to leave his boss' home.

It emerged that he had been asking the family for money to help feed their child.

He had also reportedly demanded an initial ransom of five million shillings, before increasing it to 10 million shillings. Sensing inaction on the part of the family, he reportedly even threatened to raise the ransom to 50 million shillings.

Police said the suspect might have succumbed to a lot of pressure to eventually free his young captor, before himself fleeing.

In July last year, the Police raised alarm over a troubling increase in child kidnappings, with recent cases requiring the urgent need for public vigilance.

Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said many of these kidnappings are believed to be motivated by ransom demands or ritualistic purposes.

For instance, two-year-old girl Ronah Ayanza from Ntunda village in Mukono district was kidnapped by Aloysious Kakande, a 24-year-old bodaboda rider and local resident.

The suspect was arrested at Mpata trading centre shortly after the abduction. The child was recovered unharmed.

Police said Kakande had targeted the child, believing her mother, who works in Dubai (UAE), would be able to pay a ransom. 

Last year, Police detained eight individuals linked to the kidnapping and murder of two juveniles in the Greater Masaka area.

(Additional reporting by Charles Etukuri)