Taxi driver confesses to killing four women on Entebbe road

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Isaac Nuwagaba, a taxi driver operating on Entebbe Road, has shocked crime intelligence and flying squad teams by confessing to the murder of four women, whom he killed for allegedly cheating on him. Nuwagaba was tracked and arrested over the weekend from his hideout at Rwakimuli cell, Bukinda sub-county, in Rukiga district.

He admitted to strangling the women inside his taxi and subsequently dumping their bodies in bushes in Lweza and Kajjansi, both located along Entebbe Road in Wakiso district. Nuwagaba stated that he had given money to the women, who were mostly aged between 20 and 25, but became enraged when he discovered them with other men.

He cited an incident where he strangled a woman a week ago after spending 200,000 Shillings he gave her and was later seen with another man. “When I saw her with another man, I did not bother showing myself to them. I kept quiet and later persuaded her to come and meet me. When she came alone, I grabbed her and then strangled her to death. I dumped her body here,” Nuwagaba said pointing at a bush in Kajjansi where police eventually discovered a decomposing body of an adult female.

The murders occurred between March and May 2024. Judith Awori, Nuwagaba’s first victim, was abducted and murdered on March 31, 2024. Awori, a waitress at Royal Ark Restaurant in Lweza Cell, Ndejje, Kajjansi Town Council, was found dead near St. Luke Church in Lweza. All signs indicated she was strangled elsewhere and her body dumped there.

Another woman was kidnapped on April 23 and suffocated to death. Nuwagaba and three other men placed her body in a sack and dumped it at Kawotto cell, Kajjansi Town Council. CCTV footage captured a suspect fleeing the scene after setting fire to the sack. On April 29, another female, identified as Nassali Jenipher, was murdered, her body found at Bweyawas cell in Kajjansi town council.

“The deceased had signs of strangulation, around the neck area, the face was blindfolded in a polythene bag,” Flying Squad said in a report. Nuwagaba was found with tangible evidence, including phones and personal items of the victims, when arrested. The police spokesperson, Fred Enanga, confirmed the arrest and mentioned that the taxis used in the crimes had been impounded.

Other suspects arrested include Abbas Katongole, Ronald Matovu, and Herbert Turyashemererwa. They admitted to collaborating with Nuwagaba to lure female victims into taxis, where Nuwagaba would strangle or suffocate them before robbing them of their belongings.

“We would proceed to rob their bags, smartphones, and other valuables and he would dump the bodies of the victims, within Kajjansi Town Council,” Katongole allegedly said. The investigation revealed that the group had killed six women, despite Nuwagaba admitting to only four. Most of the bodies have not been identified, and police are using DNA samples to trace relatives.

The latest body, believed to be that of Sandra Nangobi, was found along Jjanja-Lutembe Beach road on May 9, 2024. “We suspect Nangobi could be Nuwagaba’s last victim before he fled to Rukiga district. We also believe the body we found at a scene where he took us today (Monday) was that of Sandra Nangobi and we are going to invite her mother Sulaina Tendo for body identification or DNA examination,” detectives said.

Nangobi was reported missing by her mother after she did not reach her workplace in Makindye. Enanga urged companies to provide safe transport or accommodation for employees working late hours to prevent such incidents.

“We have urged companies who have workers who leave workplaces very late in the evening or night hours to provide them safe transport means or provide for their accommodation at workplaces,” Enanga said.

He also recalled previous cases of serial killings, such as the 2017 murders of over 20 women and the 2021 killings by Musa Musaasizi, who was sentenced to 105 years in prison. The police continue to investigate and search for the main suspect, Gerald Byamugisha, who remains at large.

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