An armed robbery suspect found in possession of an assault rifle belonging to the police has accused a senior security commander attached to a key counter-terrorism unit of being behind a criminal gang that has been carrying out armed robberies.
The suspect was arrested following a shoot-out between police patrol officers and armed thugs in Kireka, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, last week. During the confrontation, police recovered the firearm, which preliminary investigations indicate belongs to a specialised anti-terrorism unit. A security source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said one suspect was shot dead during the exchange of fire, while another surrendered with his rifle.
The surviving suspect reportedly pleaded for his life, promising to reveal those behind the criminal gang. According to the source, the suspect alleged that the robberies were being carried out on the orders of a senior military commander attached to one of the country’s counter-terrorism units. ‘The police have commenced investigations, and our sister security agencies have also been informed to jointly participate in the probe since a senior military officer has been named,’ the source said. When contacted for comment, Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Rachael Kawala declined to discuss the matter and referred the Daily Monitor to the national police spokesperson, Mr Kituuma Rusoke.
However, Mr Rusoke did not respond to questions sent to him last week. This is the second incident in six months in which firearms belonging to an anti-terrorism unit have been recovered from suspected criminals. In July last year, two assault rifles belonging to a counter-terrorism unit were recovered during an operation against suspected robbers in Kifuta Village, Kibira Sub-county, Kyotera District. The suspects were allegedly planning to rob a coffee dealer of Shs50 million. In the Kira Municipality incident, police suspect the recovered gun may have been used in several robberies that have rocked Kampala Metropolitan East since last year. Investigators are yet to establish who had the firearm before it was allegedly used in the robberies.
Police sources say most firearms issued to security agencies are recorded in forensic databases, making it possible to trace their history and usage. Authorities say there has been a rise in armed robberies in Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, and parts of neighbouring Mukono District. In November last year, armed attackers shot dead the Officer-in-Charge of Ntawo Police Post, Assistant Superintendent of Police Emmanuel Bagenda. Since April last year, two men armed with assault rifles have been captured on CCTV cameras robbing mobile money outlets and wholesale businesses in Kira Municipality and parts of Mukono District.
Mr Rusoke previously said intelligence reports indicated that the crimes were being carried out by organised criminal gangs. He added that security agencies were still hunting for suspects who escaped during recent operations. In mid-2025, Mr Rusoke reported similar incidents in Namugongo Division in Kira Municipality and Goma Division in Mukono District, where residents were attacked by thugs armed with machetes and knives.
‘The attackers began their spree in Nabweru in Mukono District, then continued through Kyaliwajjala and Sonde in Wakiso District, before proceeding to Seeta Town in Mukono. On their return to Nabweru, they committed another robbery at Namanve Industrial Park along the Kampala-Jinja highway,’ he said. The affected areas are predominantly residential neighbourhoods housing hundreds of middle- and working-class residents who provide labour to Kampala City and the industrial hubs of Wakiso and Mukono districts.