MUKONO.A Senior Two student of Naalya Secondary School in Lugazi, Buikwe District, has been found dead in Mukono District after missing for one week.
Merisa Aneza, 15, was reported missing by her mother, Ms Sarah Kamuganga, at Kikoni B Police Station in Wandegeya on November 6. Ms Kamuganga told this publication by phone yesterday that her daughter had returned home from school on October 28 following a one-week suspension and stayed with her for the entire duration.
The head teacher of Naalya SS, Lugazi, Ms Rita Mutaawe, when contacted yesterday requested that this publication visits the school for more details on the nature of the suspension.
The father of the deceased , Mr Martin Anogyerire, picked up Aneza from school and dropped her off at Kikoni, where the mother resides. Ms Kamuganga explained that on November 4, Aneza left for school dressed in uniform and used a motorcycle to meet her father, who was supposed to take her back to school, at his place near Bahai in Kawempe Division. Six hours later, Mr Anogyerire called Ms Kamuganga, asking why their daughter had not reached him, since he had planned to escort her back to school. Aneza never arrived, and two days later, her mother reported the matter to the police.
“I went to Kikoni B Police Station and reported the case of missing child and left the matter before police to investigate,” Ms Kamuganga said. She added that the next day, police detectives visited her residence and recorded statements from neighbours. “One of the neighbours had a camera, they retrieved the footage and it showed the daughter moving on foot but at a distance,” she said.
On November 10, photos of the deceased circulated on social media, indicating that she had been killed and dumped in Musaale Swamp, Namulaba Village, Kyampisi Sub-county, Mukono District. Local authorities said due to the advanced state of decomposition, mortuary staff in Kayunga buried the body in a cemetery. Two days later, the parents of the missing child learnt of the body recovered in Nagalama and suspected it could be their daughter, though it remained unconfirmed.
“I immediately went there, looked at the body and identified her as my daughter, I almost collapsed, local leaders held me up and took me to Nagalama Police Station to make another statement,” Ms Kamuganga said. Before she got wind of the whereabouts of her daughter, witnesses reported that the body was dressed in a navy-blue student skirt labelled Nanyonga VII, suggesting the victim may have been a student. The specific school was not immediately identified then, and police engaged nearby institutions to establish whether they had any missing learners.
Police investigating matter
The Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson, Mr Luke Owoyesigyire, said police are investigating two separate incidents, both being handled at the Kampala Metropolitan East regional headquarters. “The first is a case of a missing juvenile reported at Wandegeya Police Station on November 6, 2025, in which Sarah Kamuganga reported the disappearance of her daughter, Aneza Merisa. The second incident, under investigation at Nagalama Police Station, involves the recovery of a decomposing body from Musaale Swamp in Namulaba Village, Kyampisi Sub-county, on November 10, 2025,” he said.
Mr Owoyesigyire added that although some people claiming to be the parents of the deceased have identified her, police have not yet handed over the body to the alleged family, as DNA testing is required to confirm the identity. “As part of the ongoing investigations, police have applied for a court order to guide the exhumation of the body. Samples will be extracted for DNA analysis to determine whether the remains are those of the missing child, Aneza Merisa,” he said.