Residents in Kirowooza and Nabuta villages, Goma Division, Mukono Municipality, are living in fear after a group of armed men raided the area on Wednesday night, killing a mobile money operator and robbing several shops.
The deceased, identified as Peter Ssekamatte, a well-known mobile money agent in Kirowooza, succumbed to gunshot injuries at Mukono General Hospital shortly after the attack.
According to Ms Annet Nazziwa, an eyewitness, the assailants, armed with guns and machetes, stormed the trading centres at around 10pm, forcing traders to surrender cash and valuables at gunpoint.
“I saw them through a window, entering shops and ordering people to give them money,” she said.
Mr Tony Wasike, a trader, said two of them entered his shop and demanded money.
“I surrendered the Shs180,000 because I was scared, my life would go,” he said.
Ms Justin Nafayo, also a resident, said she narrowly survived after two of the robbers confronted her while at work. He also noted that despite residents contributing money for night security patrols, the situation has continued to worsen.
“They entered the shop and demanded money. I complied because they were armed,” he recounted.
Mr Senyonga Kyeyune, the Nabuta Cell chairperson, called for improved security deployment in the area and urged the government to regulate the circulation of firearms among civilians.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Patrick Onyango, confirmed the attack, saying a team of detectives visited the scene and recovered several exhibits.
He added that preliminary findings suggest the robbers were well-coordinated and could be part of a larger criminal network operating within the Kampala Metropolitan area.
“We are taking this incident very seriously and are working around the clock to apprehend the suspects,” Onyango said. “We urge anyone with information to come forward and help us bring these criminals to justice.”