Kinondoni Regional Police Commander, Charles Kenyela
Police in Dar es Salaam have arrested the owner of Bongo Star Bar and Guest House James Isame (50) in Kawe on allegation of possessing a human head believed to be of a person with albinism.
Kinondoni Regional Police Commander Charles Kenyela said in an interview yesterday that the suspect was arrested in Kawe area on Saturday around 20:45 hours after an impeccable source tipped off the police.
“We are interrogating him at Kawe Police Station after finding him with a human head,” he said, adding: “We got the information from our sources…our officers surrounded him immediately…the head was found in his toilet”.
Kenyela said police were still interrogating Isame and information about him had been forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office for further actions.
Attacks on people with albinism have resulted in 78 deaths, hundreds permanently maimed and others psychologically devastated countrywide, particularly in Lake Zone regions of Kagera, Mwanza, Shinyanga and Mara.
Despite many arrests, there have been only 10 trials culminating in a mere 8 convictions, with most suspects left languishing in remand prison instead of being tried in court.
Recently a badly mutilated body of a person with albinism (PWA) was discovered at Nambala village in Kikwe ward, Arumeru district, a move which created fear and dismay among the community in Arusha region.
The body, which was discovered on May 26 2012 by children, was badly mutilated and left without clothes on a stone in the middle of River Nambala.
Attacks on people with albinism have been on the rise because the suspected ringleaders and witchdoctors are often not arrested and therefore don’t fear. Even more perplexing is the fact that people who pay for such horrors to be committed have never been identified in all the reported cases.
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