Police confirm body found in swamp is of missing Naalya SS student

Kampala Metropolitan Police have launched a murder inquiry after confirming that the decomposed body found in a Mukono swamp belonged to Aneza Merisa, a student at Naalya Secondary School, Lugazi Campus.

Police spokesperson Racheal Kawala said Aneza was first reported missing on November 6, 2025, by her mother, Kamuganga Sarah, at Wandegeya Police Station.

Four days later, a decomposing body was found in Musaale Swamp in Namulaba Village, Kyampisi Subcounty, under Nagalama Police Station.

The remains were dressed in a navy-blue school skirt labelled “Nanyonga VII,” raising suspicion that the victim could be a student.

Because the body was badly decomposed, mortuary staff in Kayunga buried it before it could be identified.

Detectives later secured a court order to exhume the body for forensic tests.

DNA samples were taken and analysed at the Forensics Headquarters in Naguru. Results have now confirmed the body is that of Aneza.

“With this confirmation, we are treating the case as murder,” Kawala said.

She added that investigators are following leads to establish how Aneza was killed and how her body ended up in the swamp.

Police extended condolences to the family and said efforts to trace the suspects are ongoing. The body was handed over to the relatives and buried on Saturday.

Recent police reports show 4,411 people were killed in 2024, including 320 children, marking a 1.9% rise from 2023. Earlier data recorded 4,460 homicide cases in 2020, down from 4,718 in 2019.

Police say many cases are linked to domestic violence, land wrangles, community disputes and isolated criminal attacks.

The force continues to call for stronger forensic support, community vigilance and quick reporting to curb unresolved killings.