Man thought dead returns home on burial day, shocking Masindi residents

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Residents of Kijura Central cell, Masindi municipality, were left in shock on Monday, April 20, 2026, when a man they believed they were burying resurfaced alive on the day of his funeral.

Godwin Baguma, who reportedly has a mental disorder, had gone missing three weeks earlier.

His father, Yakobo Kamuturaki, recounted that they received information over the weekend that police had recovered a decomposing body from a sugarcane plantation in Kisanja cell, Labongo subcounty, Masindi district.

This prompted him to send his sons to identify the body at Masindi Hospital Mortuary, where they identified it as Baguma.



However, on the morning of the planned burial, reports emerged that Baguma was alive and in Kihanguzi village, Labongo subcounty.

Kamuturaki immediately arranged for people to retrieve him.

"We didn't know that we had brought a body of another person," Kamuturaki explained, expressing his joy at finding his son alive. "

"After hearing announcements on different radio stations for the burial, I was told my son is alive. We had brought the lifeless body here on Sunday, and we had partially buried it because of the stench. Now that my son has resurfaced, we are exhuming and taking back the body back to Masindi Hospital Mortuary," he said.

Jane Birungi, Baguma’s sister, said a family friend informed them that Baguma was alive and had spent the night at his place, prompting them to rush and pick him up. Despite the money spent on funeral preparations, she expressed happiness that her brother was alive.

Janet Asiimwe, a neighbour, described the incident as shocking and unprecedented in their area.

"The alleged body was picked from the mortuary on April 18, 2026, when it had started decomposing, making it hard to be recognised. We were preparing to bury him today (Monday), but the programs have changed since it wasn’t Baguma."

Florence Bikorwa and Abdul Musinguzi, both residents, expressed shock and surprise at Baguma's unexpected return.

Solomon Mugisa, the Albertine North community liaison officer and acting regional police spokesperson, confirmed that on Friday of last week, police recovered a decomposing body from a sugarcane plantation and delivered it to Masindi Hospital Mortuary.

He noted that a family from Kijura Central cell had claimed the body, and it was handed over for burial.

"However, this morning they reversed the decision and said the body wasn’t theirs, thus returning it back to Masindi Hospital Mortuary." The case is being investigated under reference Masindi CRB 017/2026.

Mugisa warned residents to always follow the right procedures while exhuming bodies.

By press time, family members were preparing to hold a thanksgiving ceremony at their home.