Police has recovered the body of Catherine Agaba, a medical doctor at International Hospital Kampala (IHK), who was reported missing on April 13, by her boyfriend.
The Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, said Agaba’s body was recovered from a septic tank in a compound of her rental in Muyenga, on Monday afternoon. The rental is part of a block of semi-finished apartments.
Mr Onyango said that a guard identified as Richard Ogenga, who was arrested last night led police detectives to where her body was dumped.
“After arresting the askari in Apac District in northern Uganda, he confessed and said he had participated in her murder and led us to Muyenga where he had dumped the body in a septic tank,” said Mr Onyango.
Ogenga told the Police that he killed Agaba because she said she would report him to his boss for dodging work, among other things related to negligence of duty.
Onyango said several items belonging to Agaba were found at Ogenga’s place when he was arrested.
According to media reports, Dr Agaba disappeared on April 13, 2019 after she reportedly asked for annual leave from her workstation- IHK. Since then, she had not been sighted anywhere. Several distress messages were circulated on the social media to trace her but yielded nothing until the police traced the suspect.
Police had earlier arrested several suspects in the murder. One of those is a Uganda doctor based in the US. The doctor who has not been named reportedly worked at Nsambya hospital in Uganda before going to the US.
On Friday, the management of IHK said they last had contact with Dr Catherine Agaba on April 9 when she applied for her annual leave.
“Our last contact with her was on Tuesday April 9 when she applied for annual leave. We appeal to anyone who has any useful information regarding her disappearance or whereabouts to report to the IHK Human Resource Office or nearest police station. We continue to stand with and pray for her and her family during this trying moment…” the IHK statement read. The family also put out a social media post informing the public about their missing relative.
Police say they are doing further investigations on the case. The body has been taken to hospital for postmortem.
Cases of kidnap shot up last year after the infamous kidnap of Suzan Magara, a 28-year-old cashier, whose body was found on the Southern Bypass in Wakiso District after 20 days in captivity.
According to the penal code act 120 chapter 24, kidnap falls under the offences against liberty. Section 243 subsection C, a person who abducts someone with the intent to procure ransom or benefit for the liberty of such a person from the danger of being murdered, is liable on conviction to suffer death.
