The Crime Intelligence Directorate 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 said three suspects including Olwo alias Tom, Latif Bogere alias Musoga and Ivan Turyahirwa alias Musiramu have recorded statements at Katwe police as investigations continue.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation in which officers tracked the group’s suspected ringleader, Olwo, for several days. He was eventually apprehended on Mubaraka Road in Makindye while riding a motorcycle, registration number UMA 979 HA.
Police said Olwo initially withheld information about his accomplices during interrogation, but later cooperated after investigators confronted him with CCTV footage linking him to a failed street robbery in Kampala.
According to investigators, the group targeted motorists by trailing them from banks and mobile money outlets before striking in traffic or ambushing 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 follow-up operations on Wednesday night in Kapeeke Zone and Kibuye, leading to the arrest of nine additional suspects.
Owoyesigyire said the suspects have confessed to several robberies, including the theft of Shs 350,000 from a motor vehicle in Kizungu and multiple attacks along Salaama road. Investigations indicate the group had been operating for some time, primarily targeting cash and electronic devices, and using motorcycles — some suspected to be stolen — to facilitate quick escape.
The arrests come amid heightened concern over violent robberies in Kampala, including a recent daytime attack in which armed assailants riding about 10 motorcycles ambushed a Centenary bank client near Nkrumah road.
The attackers, wielding machetes, seized one of two bags believed to contain large sums of cash before fleeing. Police data shows that Katwe Division, which covers Makindye, remains among the areas most affected 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.
