Police probe murder of Rwandan dissident in Mpigi, head still missing
According to the 2025 annual crime report released early this year, police recorded 4,238 homicide cases in 2025, a slight decrease from 4,329 cases reported in 2024.
Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma addressing journalists at the Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, on Monday, October 19, 2026. (Credit: Mpalanyi Ssentongo)
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Police are investigating the murder of a man whose body was discovered without a head in Luwala village, Kamengo sub-county, Mpigi district, with investigators relying on scientific evidence to establish his identity and unravel the circumstances surrounding the killing.
The deceased was identified by relatives as Robert Kabera, estimated to be about 50 years old. Kabera is said to be a former soldier with the Rwanda People's Defence Forces, who fled to Uganda in November 2020. However, police said the head had not yet been recovered. According to Kabera's relatives, their brother has been living in hiding since then.
Addressing journalists at the Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, on Monday, October 19, 2026, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said the scientific identification process would be followed despite the identification made by the family.
“We recovered the body, minus the head,” Kituuma said. The police publicist said the remains had been taken to a mortuary in Mbarara for further examination.
Police received the report on Saturday, October 17, although investigators suspect the murder could have occurred during the night of October 16 or in the early hours of October 17.
According to Kituuma, local residents discovered the remains and alerted police. Relatives had also become concerned because Kabera, who reportedly communicated with them regularly, had gone unusually long without contacting them.
“The remains were discovered by locals, who informed police,” said Kituuma.
Police had not announced any arrests in connection with the murder by the time of the briefing.
Murder statistics
According to the 2025 annual crime report released early this year, police recorded 4,238 homicide cases in 2025, a slight decrease from 4,329 cases reported in 2024.
The victims included 3,397 adult males, 550 adult females, 173 male juveniles, and 148 female juveniles. Of these, 338 victims were killed through hacking, compared to 310 in 2024.
An analysis of data indicates that the motives behind these killings largely stemmed from land disputes, domestic violence, acts of mob justice, family misunderstandings, crimes of passion and business rivalries.