Baby kidnapped from church still missing

KIDNAPPING

KAMPALA - For one couple in Kyebando, what was supposed to be a routine trip to church turned into a nightmare no parent would wish to ever experience: a frantic search for their missing child.

Three days since four-month-old Colette Owesige was kidnapped by a stranger at St. Thomas of Aquinas, Kyebando, she has yet to be found.

Her parents are unsettled, desperate and distraught.

And playing back the events of that fateful day wells the eyes of Abia Kesande, the baby's mother.

Kesande and her husband Ivan Niwenyesiga made their way to church last Sunday together with their baby. St. Thomas of Aquinas is located in Erisa Zone in the Kampala suburb of Kyebando.

They attended the early morning prayers, led by father Nicholas Creba. During the session, their baby would go missing.

And here is how it unfolded - according to Kesande's account.

Hours after settling in and getting plunged into prayer, a female stranger sitting right behind the couple started playing with their baby. She then requested her parents to allow her carry and continue playing with the toddler.

They accepted.

"I did not notice her go out of the church with my daughter. But she returned and calmed me not to worry - that baby Owesige was safe with her. I was convinced. So she went back outside with the baby," narrated Kesande.

All Abia Kesande wants is to be reunited with her baby

A little while later, instincts took over the child's mother and she stood up to go check on her.

Upon getting outside, she found the woman gone. Her baby, too, was missing.

Panicky and breathless, Kesande frantically rushed back inside the church and announced her baby's disappearance.

Father Creba immediately halted the prayers to attend to the emergency. The congregants swiftly sprang into a search for the missing one. It was a futile hunt.

The desperate parents reported their child's disappearance to Police at Kanyanya Police Station. A case was opened: SD: REF: 31/26/01/2020.

Meanwhile, footage from CCTV cameras mounted in the area was reviewed, but the suspect was not seen in the clips.

The search continues.

In case of any useful information, please reach out to local Police.