A mob in Luwero District lynched and set ablaze a suspected cattle thief together with his vehicle, beyond recognition.
The deceased, identified as Henry Sekindu, 38, a resident of Gulama Village, met his death after being intercepted by residents while driving a Toyota Premio registration number UBD 290M — a car that was itself reported stolen from Kasana earlier in the week.
Eyewitnesses say that Sekindu was trailed from Kakoola Village in Bamunanika Sub-county after residents raised an alarm over a series of cattle thefts in the area. When he was finally intercepted at Nkonge Village, Tweyanze Parish, Katikamu Sub-county, the mob descended on him before setting both his body and the vehicle ablaze.
According to Savannah Region Police spokesperson, Sam Twiineamazima, preliminary findings indicate that Sekindu was a well-known suspect with multiple pending court cases related to cattle and vehicle theft across Luwero District.
Twiineamazima says in a statement that police have since registered cases of murder and malicious damage and have commenced investigations.
The charred remains of the deceased were later taken to Luwero General Hospital for postmortem examination. Police have condemned the mob action, warning residents against taking the law into their own hands.
Twiineamazims urges the public to respect due legal process and allow law enforcement agencies to handle suspects through established procedures.
The interception of suspected cattle thieves remains a recurring challenge in Luwero District. Uganda Radio Network [URN] reported early September 2025, that police in Luwero District intercepted and impounded a vehicle long blacklisted for suspected involvement in cattle theft.
The white Toyota Wish, registration number UAQ 768K, was stopped in Luwero on the evening of September 1, 2025, at around 6:00 pm, according to Savannah Region Police Spokesperson Sam Twiineamazima.
Twiineamazima stated that the car had been under surveillance due to its alleged role in cattle thefts in Luwero and the neighboring districts of Nakaseke and Nakasongola.
Following the interception, the occupants cooperated with police and led officers to where two suspected stolen cows were recovered.
Similarly, in mid-June 2025, police recovered 42 heads of cattle in just one week during intensified crackdowns.
That followed a June 14, 2025, URN report indicating that police had already seized 38 cows and arrested 10 suspects linked to nighttime kraal raids in Wabinyonyi, Lwampanga, Migyeera sub-counties, and Nakasongola Town Council.
Subsequent operations on June 13, 2025, yielded further recoveries in Katitiza, Kansirye, Kakonde, Kitego, and Sasira villages in Wabinyonyi Sub-County.
Among those arrested were Alex Kimeeze of Katitiza village, and Julius Wandera and Patrick Bebwa of Kansirye village, all of whom already had case files for cattle theft. The trio later appeared before the Nakasongola Magistrate’s Court.
Recovered cattle were transferred to Nakasongola Central Police Station (CPS), where owners were asked to present proof of ownership before reclaiming their animals. Local leaders expressed concern about the scale of the thefts.
On June 19, 2025, Twiineamazima confirmed that an additional four cows were recovered from the home of suspect Julius Wandera in Kansirye village.
Police data indicates that between September 2024 and March 2025, 492 cattle were reported stolen across the Savannah Region, of which 310 were recovered.
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