Child’s head at Parliament: Where is the missing file? [New Vision CSI: Crime Stories]

In September 2020, security officers intercepted a young man carrying a human head to Parliament. The severed human head allegedly belonged to three-year-old Faith Kyamagero. Five years later, Kyamagero’s Masaka family is seeking answers about their murdered child. In this second episode of a two-part series, New Vision undercover journalist brings you an investigation into the case of the head at Parliament.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:05

Locating Charles Senyonga, the father of the deceased in Kijabwemi village, Kinyama Subcounty in Masaka City, was difficult. Many people in the village shared the same name. When it was clarified that the search concerned the man whose daughter had been mutilated and transported in a box to Kampala, directions were given. One resident identified him as a pastor with a church in his home state. The home was a modest one, a structure with cracked walls and a rusty iron sheet roof weighed down by stones. The compound was bare but swept. Inside this home, the family continued to live with trauma. Senyonga said the family lived in fear due to strange phone calls. He said they had repeatedly been told to abandon the case through anonymous calls. He said different people had visited the home with threats and warnings not to speak to the media. He said he had lost hope of receiving communication from Massaka High Court. The family still vividly remembered the night Nuashaba arrived at their home in May 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. He arrived at about 10 p.m. He begged to stay, saying he was homeless and needed help to reach Kampala for work. He worked tirelessly in the compound, sweeping, cleaning, and assisting in daily chores. He gained the family's trust. However, inconsistencies emerged. He avoided children in the home, including three-year-old Chamageru. He claimed to be from Busheni district. He claimed both parents had died and that he had been raised by his grandmother before being chased away by relatives. Investigators later found inconsistencies in his identity documents. Despite this, the family supported him by allowing him to sell maize in Massaka town. He worked daily and returned home consistently, but unusual behavior continued. He was seen making private calls despite claiming not to own a phone. He later acquired a basic phone. Shortly afterwards, the murder occurred. On the day of the incident, he allegedly took Chamageru to cut grass. He placed her on his shoulders and gave her earphones. She trusted him completely. She never returned home. That evening, a headless torso was discovered near a water treatment plant in Kijabuemi. The family identified the body using bracelets on her wrists. Evidence suggested she had been sexually assaulted. Later that night, a child's head was intercepted at parliament. DNA confirmed it belonged to the same club. Then it disappeared from public discussion. Five years later, the family said they were still searching for answers. They said they had received no communication from authorities. A search at Masaka High Court revealed that there was no trace of the case file in the registry. Court records later indicated that the case was handled by Justice Lawrence Tweyanze. It was filed on January 25, 2022, allocated on March 31, 2023, and a conviction was recorded on April 9, 2023. However, prison sources gave conflicting information claiming the conviction occurred in 2024. Court records showed multiple hearings including April 3rd, 2023 and April 19, 2023. One entry indicated that a plea was taken and a conviction entered without witnesses being called. Sources said prosecutors dropped the human sacrifice charge and retained murder and aggravated defilement. Allegations emerged that a plea bagain had been approved by the Directorate of Public Prosecutions in Kampala. Prison sources said Nuashaba repeatedly sought plea bagaining. They alleged he claimed involvement in a powerful political figure. He said he was promised rewards that never came. He was also reported as saying that politics is a dirty game. However, no judgment was available for public viewing. The victims' family said they were never informed or involved. Investigators at CID Chibuli also failed to retrieve the file. Prison authorities confirmed he was being held at Luzera Upper Prison. The exact sentence details remained unclear. One source estimated it to be 34 years, though it was impossible to determine whether the sentence related to one offense or multiple offences because the judgment remained inaccessible. The disappearance of records in a case of such magnitude raised serious concerns. Article 28 of Uganda's constitution guarantees the right to a fair and speedy hearing. Yet, when court records vanish, both the public and the victim's family are left without answers. Confidence in the justice system is eroded. Sources further disclosed that unidentified visitors regularly met Noah Shaba while he was on remand. He was repeatedly advised to pursue a pleain arrangement that could secure a lighter sentence. According to insiders, prosecutors initially rejected his plea bargain requests for nearly two years. Then a team from the Directorate of Public Prosecutions headquarters in Kampala later visited Massachusetts and approved the arrangement. It was alleged that the plea Bagain was processed without fully considering the gravity of the offenses. One source said some state attorneys feared that if he went through a full trial, he would expose powerful people connected to the case. Civil society actors also raised concerns. Peter Se Wachiranga of Champisi Child Care Ministries said he tried to follow up the case, but later abandoned it after receiving warnings about risks. When contacted, the spokesperson of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Jacqueline Okui, said she could not verify the allegations without a police file number. She later confirmed that Nuashaba was sentenced to 31 years and six months imprisonment. She expressed surprise that the victim's family was not informed. Legal experts noted that plea begins are agreements between the accused and prosecution with the state acting on behalf of the complainant. They said serious capital offenses would normally proceed to full trial. Meanwhile, conflicting explanations continued to emerge about the missing court file. A source at CID Chibuli said record keeping was lacking and they could not retrieve the file. Prison spokesperson Frank Baine confirmed that Nuashaba was being held at Luzira Upper Prison. But the core question remained unanswered. If the case was concluded, where is the judgment? Why is there no accessible record? And what truly happened between confession court and conviction? When contacted Justice Lawrence, Treyanze declined to comment, repeatedly asking, who told you to call me. Five years later, the family was still waiting for answers, and the file still missing remained the center of one of Uganda's most disturbing unresolved judicial mysteries.