Uganda’s security forces have announced the arrest of a man identified as Moses Mujurizi, whom Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba has described as the country’s “worst serial killer and cannibal”, allegedly responsible for the deaths of 38 people over a 15-year period.
Gen Muhoozi announced the arrest on social media, saying the suspect was apprehended after a security operation targeting the killings that have haunted communities in Greater Masaka and other parts of western Uganda.
“I am glad to inform our fellow citizens that the security forces have arrested the evil Mujurizi Moses,” Gen Muhoozi wrote. “The worst serial killer and cannibal in Uganda’s history.”
According to the CDF, Mujurizi allegedly killed and ate 38 people between 2010 and 2025, with the alleged murders occurring in Masaka, Ibanda and Kazo.
The announcement has revived memories of a string of unexplained and brutal killings in Greater Masaka, where families were attacked in their homes, sometimes at night, leaving investigators struggling for years to establish whether the incidents were connected.
Gen Muhoozi said the suspect would be prosecuted, but also made a controversial declaration about the punishment he expects.
“We will try him in public and definitely execute him,” he said. The statement has generated intense public interest because of the scale and brutality of the allegations, while also raising questions about how the suspect will be brought to justice through Uganda’s courts.
The Greater Masaka trail
The arrest comes against the backdrop of a long-running investigation into killings that had previously been associated with a man identified in police and media reports as Fred Mujulizi, alias Kulaish or Kulaishi Kamugisha.
The similarity between the names in the latest announcement and those in earlier investigations is likely to become an important issue for investigators as they establish the suspect’s identity, aliases and possible links to the older cases.
In 2013, then Deputy Director of Criminal Investigations Godfrey Musana described the suspect as a dangerous individual who was constantly moving around on motorcycles.
Police investigations at the time suggested that the attacks were not random. In some cases, assailants allegedly dug or drilled through walls of victims’ houses before gaining entry and attacking occupants with machetes.
The violence shocked communities because entire families could be wiped out in a single attack. One of the most notorious cases was the January 2013 killing of nine members of the family of Pentecostal pastor Steven Mugambe in Kanabulemu village, Kyebe Sub-county, in the then Rakai District, now Kyotera.
The killings became one of the defining cases in the Greater Masaka murder investigations and contributed to fears that a highly organised group was moving from village to village targeting families.
Other cases were reported in Kyannamukaaka Sub-county, where six people from two families were killed in late 2012.
Five other people from two families were reportedly killed in Kijonjo village, Buwunga Sub-county, in 2023.
The repeated attacks prompted security agencies to pursue suspects believed to have been involved in a wider network.
A suspect who repeatedly escaped
One of the most troubling elements of the earlier investigations was the history of arrests and escapes surrounding the suspect.
Reports indicated that the man had been arrested several times since 2009, only to escape or be released under circumstances that subsequently became the subject of controversy.
Those repeated developments left some victims’ families convinced that the investigations had not been brought to a satisfactory conclusion.
The latest arrest therefore represents a potentially significant breakthrough if investigators can establish that the man now identified by Gen Muhoozi is the same individual previously linked to the Greater Masaka killings.
It could also allow detectives to revisit old case files using fresh evidence and statements from relatives who have continued to demand answers.
Fresh murder case
The latest developments gained momentum in October after a man identified as Fred Mujulizi, alias Kulaish Kamugisha, aged 38 and described as a moneylender from the Nyendo-Mukungwe area, appeared before a Masaka magistrate alongside Huzairuh Kyambadde.
The two were facing murder and human trafficking charges arising from the September 28 killing of a woman in a suspected ritual murder. Police said the suspect had confessed and that exhibits had been recovered from his home.
The two accused were remanded to Masaka Central Prison until November 5, as Greater Masaka police reopened older case files and began receiving fresh complaints from families.
That investigation appears to have provided security agencies with an opportunity to revisit the wider pattern of killings.
The alleged discovery of additional information could now help detectives establish whether the recent case is connected to the older murders and whether the suspect operated alone or as part of a wider network.
‘Operation Sasi Ku Nyama’
The arrest has been celebrated by some members of the public and security supporters, who credited the security forces with tracking down the suspect.
One social media user, Alex J Muhangi, congratulated the commandos, writing: “Job well done to the commandos, #OperationSasiKuNyama is the way to go.”
Another user, Coach Gad, praised the security leadership, saying: “Great job to our forces. We appreciate your leadership on ensuring wanainchi are safe and peaceful in Uganda.”
The reactions reflect the fear that the Greater Masaka killings generated over the years and the relief among some residents that a suspect has now been apprehended. But the arrest also places considerable responsibility on investigators and prosecutors.
The allegations against Mujurizi are extraordinarily serious. If prosecutors are to establish responsibility for dozens of murders, they will need to build cases based on admissible evidence rather than relying solely on confessions or public claims.
Investigators will have to establish the identities of the alleged victims, circumstances of their deaths, locations, dates, possible witnesses, forensic evidence and any connection between the suspect and individual crime scenes.
They will also have to determine whether the allegations of cannibalism can be independently substantiated.
Justice versus public anger
Gen Muhoozi’s declaration that the suspect will be tried “in public” and “definitely” executed is likely to attract scrutiny because the determination of guilt and sentence belongs to the courts.
The arrest announcement, however, marks a dramatic new chapter in a murder saga that has stretched across several years and districts.
For families whose relatives disappeared or were killed in unexplained circumstances, the immediate question is whether the arrest will finally provide answers.
The Greater Masaka killings have remained among Uganda’s most disturbing unresolved murder cases, characterised by attacks on families, allegations of organised perpetrators and repeated complaints that suspects escaped justice.
Now, with security forces claiming to have arrested Mujurizi and with older files reportedly being reopened, investigators face the task of connecting the pieces.
If the allegations are proved, the case could become one of the most significant serial-murder prosecutions in Uganda’s history.
Author Profile
- Charles Gazza Kodili is a seasoned journalist with over 20 years of experience in the media industry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication. He’s currently the Chief Editor at the Investigator.
Charles can also be reached via; Tel: +256 774 108978
Email: [email protected]
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