Police Crime Intelligence has dismantled a gang of suspected panga-wielding thugs believed to be behind a string of robberies in Makindye Division, Kampala.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed that three suspects, Olwo alias Tom, Latif Bogere alias Musoga, and Ivan Turyahirwa alias Musiramu, have recorded statements at Katwe Police Division. Several other suspects are yet to do so.
The arrests followed a coordinated intelligence-led operation that involved several days of tracking the group’s alleged ringleader, Olwo alias Tom
. He was apprehended on Mubaraka Road in Makindye Division while riding a motorcycle, registration number UMA 979 HA.Police said Olwo initially withheld information about his accomplices during interrogation
. However, he later cooperated after being confronted with CCTV footage linking him to a botched street robbery in Kampala. According to investigators, the gang had been targeting motorists by trailing them from banks and mobile money outlets.
They also reportedly attacked victims in traffic or ambushed boda-boda riders and their passengers in isolated areas. Their operations were concentrated in Makindye, Kizungu (Salaama), Bunga, and Katwe.
Acting on intelligence obtained from Olwo, police conducted targeted operations on Wednesday night in Kapeeke Zone and Kibuye within Makindye Division, leading to the arrest of nine additional suspects.
Owoyesigyire said the suspects have confessed to multiple robberies, including the theft of 350,000 Shillings from a motor vehicle in Kizungu and several attacks along Salaama Road.
Investigations indicate that the group has been operating for a considerable period, primarily targeting cash and electronic devices, and using motorcycles, some suspected to be stolen, to facilitate quick escape.
All suspects remain in custody and will be arraigned in court upon completion of investigations.
The arrests come in the wake of a recent brazen daytime robbery in central Kampala, where armed assailants riding about 10 motorcycles ambushed a Centenary Bank client at the Nkrumah Road branch.
The attackers, wielding machetes, quickly seized one of two bags believed to contain large sums of cash and fled before security could respond.
Police data shows that Katwe Division, which covers Makindye, remains among Kampala’s most affected areas by robbery. The 2025 Police Crime Report ranks Kawempe Division highest with 289 cases, followed by Katwe (222), Jinja Road (212), Kira (188), and Kabalagala (183).
Nationally, Uganda recorded 7,863 robbery cases in 2025, representing a 3.7 per cent decline from 8,163 cases reported in 2024. The figures had risen steadily from 6,854 cases in 2022 to 7,768 in 2023, peaking in 2024 before the slight drop in 2025. URN