UPDF Soldier Found Dead in Kyankwanzi Culvert, Police Suspect Strangulation

Authorities in the Wamala region have launched a full-scale murder investigation following the grim discovery of a Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) soldier’s body inside a road culvert in Kyankwanzi District.

The victim has been identified as 50-year-old Corporal John Rwenzwa (service number RA 168613). Attached to the UPDF Garrison in Mubende, Rwenzwa was reportedly on pass leave at his home located in Bwaba Village, Banda sub-county.

According to Wamala Region police spokesperson Senior Superintendent of Police Lameck Kigozi, the soldier left his home on November 1, 2026, accompanied by his wife, Kakaranga Betty. The couple rode a Bajaj Boxer motorcycle to attend prayers at the Lwebisanja Trading Centre. While the wife returned home later that afternoon, Rwenzwa remained behind and never came back.

His disappearance went unreported initially as his family assumed he had travelled back to his military duty station. However, local residents near the Bwaba-Kabaale road junction eventually noticed a pungent smell and discovered the decomposing body hidden inside a culvert. The local chairman alerted the Banda Sub-county Police Station, prompting a homicide team to rush to the scene.

Preliminary police findings suggest that the soldier may have been strangled elsewhere before his remains were dumped at the culvert, which investigators believe was a secondary crime scene. Furthermore, the victim’s motorcycle remains missing, pointing investigators toward a possible robbery motive.

The body was transferred to Kiboga Hospital mortuary to undergo a postmortem examination. Law enforcement has urged anyone with relevant information regarding the missing motorcycle or the suspects to contact the Kyankwanzi District Police Command.

Read more about this incident in the Daily Monitor.