Police in Mbarara District have arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of 29-year-old Arinaitwe Richard, whose remains were discovered in Bwizibwera Cell, Rwanyamahembe Town Council.
The suspects have been identified as Tukahirwa Rodgers, a resident of the area, and Nasasira Darius, of Bwizibwera Upper Cell.
According to police, Arinaitwe, a resident of Bwizibwera Lower Cell, was killed on September 7, 2026, although the exact time of the alleged murder remains unknown.
The case came to light after a severed human head was discovered at about 7:48am at the doorway of the home of Gumisiriza Innocent along Sibyangu Street in Bwizibwera Cell.
Gumisiriza reportedly alerted the local council leadership, which subsequently informed police at Bwizibwera Police Station.
Police officers visited the area at about 3:20pm and recovered the rest of the deceased’s remains from a home in Bwizibwera Lower Cell.
The remains were later identified as belonging to Arinaitwe by his biological mother, police said.
Investigators then deployed a police sniffer dog named Nana to help establish how the remains had been moved and identify possible suspects.
According to Rwizi Police spokesperson SP Kasasira Samson, the canine picked up a human scent at the location where the head had been dumped and began tracking a trail, following blood stains until it led investigators to a house occupied by Tukahirwa Rodgers.
Police subsequently deployed Nana at the location where the other remains had been recovered.
The dog again picked up a human scent and tracked towards the area where the head had been dumped, giving investigators a potential link between the two locations.
The canine team then continued the trail from the dumping site and eventually led investigators to another house occupied by Nasasira Darius in Bwizibwera Upper Cell.
A search of Nasasira’s house resulted in the recovery of a panga bearing suspected blood stains, which police seized and recorded as an exhibit.
The discovery has now become part of the evidence being examined as detectives work to establish what happened to Arinaitwe and determine the individual roles, if any, of the two suspects.
Both Tukahirwa and Nasasira are currently in police custody as investigations continue.
Police have not yet disclosed a possible motive for the killing and have cautioned that the suspects remain under investigation as detectives work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the death.
SP Kasasira said inquiries into the matter are ongoing.
The arrest comes as police continue to rely on forensic and canine investigations to trace suspects and reconstruct crime scenes, particularly in cases where conventional evidence may be limited.
Investigators are expected to examine the recovered weapon and other evidence as they piece together the events leading to Arinaitwe’s death.
Police have urged members of the public with information that could assist the investigation to come forward.
The suspects have not been convicted of any offence and are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a competent court.
