Seventeen human skulls buried in metal boxes were discovered at a suspected shrine in central Uganda.
According to AFP, police reported on Tuesday.
The grim find was made on Monday by children searching for firewood outside Kabanga village near Mpigi town, about 40 kilometers west of the capital, Kampala, according to local media.
Residents informed the police that metallic boxes containing what seemed to be skulls were buried in a shrine, prompting officers to act swiftly.
“We swiftly moved in and dug up the place, and so far we have recovered 17 human skulls,” regional police spokesman Majid Karim told AFP.
“We are conducting more excavations to ensure there are no more skulls other than what we have so far recovered,” he added.
Karim noted that the remains were undergoing examination to determine their age, sex, and the period of burial.
He urged the public to remain calm, acknowledging that some residents were left in shock.
Officers will “investigate the matter to establish the circumstances surrounding the recovery of these skulls and who could be behind this act,” Karim said.
It remains unclear how the skulls ended up at the site.
Local media reported that residents had observed gatherings for worship at the location in the past.
Police stated that the suspected owner of the site is on the run, having been linked to a separate case involving the murder of prominent traditional Baganda leader and entrepreneur, Daniel Bbosa.
Bbosa was reportedly killed by hired gunmen in Kampala as he returned home from work in February 2024.
Despite being densely populated, Mpigi district remains semi-rural, with agriculture being the dominant local trade.
Coffee and bananas are the major cash crops and staple foods, and a significant road links the villages to Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Tanzania.
