Incidents of pickpocketing, street mugging and robbery dominated the list of crimes recorded during the end-of-year celebrations across the Kampala Metropolitan Area, covering Kampala City, Wakiso and Mukono districts.
Police say that out of 51 suspects arrested during the New Year festivities, 31 were apprehended for pickpocketing at events that attracted large crowds.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala said Old Kampala Police Division, which covers areas of Lubiri and Mengo, registered the highest number of arrests. She noted that 30 suspects were picked up for offences related to pickpocketing, phone theft and wallet snatching.
“Generally, the New Year celebrations were peaceful, but we registered a few incidents involving petty crimes. Old Kampala recorded the highest number of arrests on New Year’s night,” Kawala said.
Most of the suspects arrested in Old Kampala targeted revellers at Lubiri Grounds. However, police say the deployment of covert officers within the crowds enabled the timely identification and arrest of suspected pickpockets, who were bundled into waiting police vans and taken to Old Kampala Police cells.
In Nansana, police arrested 10 suspects found in possession of machetes and suspected narcotic substances. Authorities say the suspects were intercepted after intelligence suggested they were planning to attack people returning from New Year celebrations.
Beyond pickpocketing, police are also investigating two separate incidents of suspected arson reported in Wakiso and Mukono districts in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
In Wakiso District, an arson case was reported at Kireka-Bira village in Nakabugo Parish, Wakiso Sub-county. The complainant, Mercy Natukunda, told police that on the night of December 31, 2025, she and her husband left home to attend overnight prayers. At around 4:00 a.m., shortly after the start of 2026, neighbours alerted them that their house was on fire.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Deputy Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said that although the fire was eventually extinguished, several household items, including mattresses, clothing and suitcases, were destroyed.
“A neighbour reported seeing a woman leaving the scene shortly after the fire started. The suspect is believed to be known to the complainant. Police visited and documented the scene, recorded witness statements, and arrested a suspect to assist with investigations,” Owoyesigyire said.
In a separate incident in Mukono District, Ritah Namutebi, a resident of Kitega village, said she had been away from home for several weeks and briefly stepped out to usher in the New Year upon her return. She told police that when she came back, she found her house engulfed in flames, with all property destroyed.
“I had previously received threats from a man known to me following domestic disagreements. I strongly suspect he is responsible for setting my house on fire. I want the police to trace him wherever he is hiding,” Namutebi said.
Owoyesigyire confirmed that police visited and documented the scene, recorded statements from the complainant and witnesses, and recovered exhibits to aid investigations. He added that efforts are ongoing to trace and interview the suspect.
Owoyesigyire said both the Natukunda and Namutebi cases are being treated as arson, and investigations are ongoing. Meanwhile, police are also investigating a hit-and-run road crash that claimed the life of a pedal cyclist in Kijjabijo, Gayaza, Wakiso District. Kawala said efforts are underway to trace the driver, whose identity remains unknown.
Other suspects were arrested for fighting, causing public nuisance, and engaging in disorderly conduct at entrances to end-of-year concerts and places of worship. Police say all suspects will be screened and arraigned in courts of law early next week.
****URN****