Police have unearthed seventeen human skulls buried in metal boxes at a suspected shrine in central Uganda.
Children foraging for firewood outside Kabanga village near Mpigi town, approximately 40 kilometers (24 miles) west of the capital Kampala, made the grisly discovery on Monday, according to local media.
Residents informed officers about metallic boxes containing what appeared to be skulls buried at a shrine. “We swiftly moved in and dug up the place, and so far we have recovered 17 human skulls,” regional police spokesman Majid Karim told reporters. “We are conducting more excavations to ensure there are no more skulls other than what we have so far recovered,” he added.
The remains are being examined to determine their age, sex, and the possible time of burial. Karim urged the public to remain calm as some residents have been left in shock. Officers will investigate to establish the circumstances surrounding the recovery of these skulls and identify those responsible.
It remains unclear how the skulls ended up at the site. Local media reported that residents mentioned people previously gathering at the location for worship.
Police said the suspected owner of the site is on the run and is linked to a separate case involving the murder of a prominent traditional Baganda leader and entrepreneur, Daniel Bbosa. Bbosa was killed by hired gunmen in Kampala as he returned home from work in February this year.
Mpigi district, though densely populated, remains semi-rural with agriculture dominating local trade. Coffee and bananas are the major cash crops and staple foods, and there is a major road linking the villages to Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
