A 40-year-old woman from Nansana Municipality has been left in shock after a thief stole a bag containing the body of her five-month-old baby as she traveled home for burial.
Kimuli Jjumba, a resident of Ngalonnyambe Cell in Gombe, said she had just been discharged from Mulago Hospital following the death of her baby, Paulina Namigade.
Jjumba said she was trying to transport her daughter’s body back to her village for burial but had no money for proper transport.
Forced to improvise, she bought a suitcase, placed the baby’s body inside, and boarded a commuter taxi heading toward her home.
Her journey took a painful turn at Matugga when she briefly got out of the taxi to load airtime onto her phone. When she returned, the vehicle had already driven off with her luggage still inside.
“I tried to chase after it but couldn’t catch it,” she said.
The vehicle was identified as a Toyota Hiace, registration number UBL 104Z. Jjumba believes a passenger seated next to her may have taken the bag after suspecting it contained valuables.
Instead, she said, the person may have unknowingly taken the body of her deceased child.
The incident has left the grieving mother and her family stranded and desperate for help, as they are now unable to proceed with burial arrangements.
She has appealed to anyone who comes across the suitcase or knows the whereabouts of the taxi to report to authorities immediately so the child’s body can be returned for a proper burial.
