KAMPALA – Police in Katwe, a city suburb, has arrested two suspects on human-trafficking charges after a 31-year-old woman was maimed to death and repatriated back to Uganda from Jordan.
Muhammed Musoke and Timothy Wakhasa were taken into custody following an investigation into the alleged trafficking of persons reported at Katwe Police Station by Moses Nyakana, the husband to the deceased, Juliet Nakiyimba.
Nyakana, a resident of Kigaga Zone, Makindye, narrated to the investigators that the deceased left his home, claiming she had gone to the village to visit her sick parents.
The unsuspecting husband then called to establish whether she had reached safely. However, attempts to reach Nakiyimba by phone were futile because she had blacklisted his calls.
After a few weeks, the deceased sent him Whatsapp messages and voice notes confirming to him that she had flown abroad for greener pastures.
Nyakana then received a call in September from unknown callers informing him that his wife was very ill and was to be repatriated back a call he never took seriously because she had barely spent a month.
He was then called the second time by another anonymous caller who told him that the deceased was mentally ill and had committed suicide by jumping through a window of a five-storeyed building.
The deceased’s husband then opted to report the matter to police in order to establish the company responsible for trafficking her to Jordan.
It was established that Nakiyimba was trafficked to Jordan in the month of August 2018 through Rwanda by Al Saudi Agency.
Al Saudi is a licenced company under Ministry of Gender Labour and Social Development located along Kibuye Salaama Road. Medical reports reveal that the deceased died on 4th September 2018, body repatriated back on 24th September 2018 and was taken to City Mortuary for post-mortem.
Post-mortem report confirms that two of the deceased’s kidneys had been removed a condition that may have resulted in her sudden death. Nakiyimba is survived by five children.
The two suspects are currently detained at Katwe Police Station vide CRB:1582/2018 on charges of human trafficking contrary to section 3 (1)(a) of Trafficking in Persons Act.
“In a bid to reduce the plight many Ugandans go through while desperately searching for employment abroad, we caution those seeking to travel abroad for work to guard against traffickers and unlicensed recruitment companies. Any person in doubt about the credibility of his or her recruiter should contact the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development on telephone number: 041-4 345002,” police said in a statement.