Police in Masaka are on a manhunt for a senior three student who is believed to have been kidnapped on his way to school.
This incident occurred on Monday morning, October 25, 2024, in Masaka city, as the student was heading to school. The missing student has been identified as Ian Lutaya, a Senior Three student at Masaka Secondary School.
Initial reports show that Lutaya, on the fateful day, was given UGX 300,000 by his father, Geofrey Kigganda, as school fees balance; however, he did not reach school.
While being interviewed by journalists, Kigganda revealed on October 28, 2024, that when it reached evening, they waited for Lutaya’s return home but he didn’t, which prompted him to go to school and ask the head teacher and class teacher; however, he informed him that Lutaya did not attend classes that day.
He added that a search in the nearby bushes was launched, but they found a man cutting grass for his cows, who told them that he had seen a few books, a school bag, and a uniform in a nearby bush, and upon inspection they belonged to Lutaya.
’’My son is in the wrong hands; however, I do not know whether he is still alive or dead, but the locals are helping me search for him everywhere, plus police have been informed about Lutaya’s mysterious disappearance,’’ Kigganda disclosed.
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SP Twaha Kasirye, the Greater Masaka police spokesperson, confirmed this incident and said that a manhunt for Lutaya and his kidnappers is on.
Kasirye added that whoever has information on Lutaya should inform the police so that he is united with his family.
“Lutaya’s school items were dropped in a place that had no cameras, which is making our investigations hard; however, since October 25, 2024, to date, police are still looking for him,’’ Kasirye noted.
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He also cautioned parents against giving school-going children large sums of money but rather pay school fees by themselves because these students or pupils can easily be coerced by thugs, robbed, and even harmed before the money is forcefully taken from them.
In 2024, several alarming incidents involving the kidnapping of school-going children have been reported in Masaka region, highlighting serious concerns about child safety.
Between June 10 and July 2, 2024, two children, Julius Asiimwe and Andrew Jjunju, were kidnapped in Sembabule district. After extensive investigations, police arrested eight suspects linked to the kidnaps. The bodies of both juveniles were recovered, showing signs of ritualistic murder. The suspects faced multiple charges, including murder and human trafficking.
