A troubling rise in daytime muggings and hijackings by criminal gangs targeting pedestrians and motorcycle riders is unsettling urban neighbourhoods. The criminal gangs, sometimes wielding machetes, often use motorcycles to chase down their victims or carry out swift snatch-and-run tactics before disappearing into the shadows with the stolen cash, valuables, and motorcycles.
Several of the victims were confronted in dark or isolated areas where there are no police closed circuit television {CCTV) cameras. Last Friday, Ms Edina Tumukunde, a shop attendant in Kamwokya, was reportedly accosted by four such masked assailants on two fast-moving motorcycles. They snatched her bag and vanished without a trace.
This is not an isolated case, as reports of similar snatch-and-grab incidents by men on motorcycles have surged across Kampala City and its environs in the recent months. Ms Tumukunde told this publication that she first lost consciousness for nearly 30 minutes before recovering and proceeding to Kira Road Police Station in Kampala, where she reported a case of robbery.
”I was from my shop, I had Shs1 million (in cash) and my phone was also taken since it was in the bag,’ shee said. Mr Vincent Walugembe, a motorcycle rider, was also waylaid by a group of men on motorcycles as he was returning home in Makindye Division, Kampala City.
He said someone posing as passenger stopped him as he headed home, but as they negotiated the fare, a group of four panga-wielding men on two motorcycles surrounded him and forced him to surrender his motorcycle.
”I was assaulted by the thugs, lost consciousness but later recovered at about 10pm and proceeded to Katwe Police Station where I reported a case of robbery,’ Mr Walugembe said. The increasing cases of attacks have, as a result, left the law and order authorities scrambling for a solution. Police detectives investigating the cases, on condition of anonymity, informed this publication that such robberies are done by a network of gangs across Kampala. A detective said the thugs who hijack motorcycles have direct contacts with some business people who buy and sell both new and old motorcycles within and outside the country.
”The operation is planned by three groups, the hitmen who go to the field, the ones who buy the motorcycles and the ones who disassemble the motorcycles and store them in a shop known to these as ”fridge’ in the form of spare parts,’ the detective said.
The detective said in only three months, running from April to June, more than Shs1 billion has been reported to have stolen by thugs moving on motorcycles in four major cases which police have investigated.
‘The robberies happened at Wampewo Avenue where shs320m was robbed, Nkrumah Road where a forex bureau was robbed Shs620m, and another robbery at Nsambya Arena Mall, where Shs45m was taken and another case at Ggwanga Mall where Shs67m was taken,’ the detective said.
Investigations
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Rachael Kawala said following the rampant robberies of motorcycles within the Kampala Metropolitan Area (KMP), the police have in liaison with other security agencies organised operations to curb the criminality. Police detectives familiar with the investigators say most of the motorcycles stolen are bought and sold to some garages where they are disassembled and sold as spare parts. In the first operation, conducted in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono districts, the officers seized 16 motorcycles believed to have been stolen and arrested 40 suspects during a series of disruptive operations targeting criminal hideouts and black spots in Kireka, Bweyogerere and Bukerere.
The police said the raids focused on areas identified as hotspots for motorcycle theft, with many of the recovered bikes lacking proper documentation or showing signs of tampering. The operations were conducted in areas suspected to be harbouring criminals involved in motorcycle theft, street robberies and narcotic substance abuse. ‘The operations targeted suspected criminals believed to be involved in narcotic substance abuse and street robberies. A total of 28 suspects were arrested and exhibits of suspected narcotic substances were recovered,” Ms Kawala said. The authorities have urged victims of motorcycle theft to report to police stations with proof of ownership to reclaim their property.
The Kampala Metropolitan Police leadership have pledged to sustain the crackdown, warning that those involved in motorcycle theft and resale would face prosecution. Mr Rusoke Kituuma, the police spokesperson, said the operations are part of a broader effort to curb rising cases of motorcycle theft, which have affected boda boda riders and contributed to insecurity in urban areas. The Kampala Metropolitan Police said the operations across the city have led to the arrest of 2,334 suspects. Mr Kituuma explained that not all those detained were guilty. He said 164 of them were released on police bond, while 505 were questioned and later cleared. Another 1,350 suspects were taken to court, with police citing sufficient grounds for prosecution while 307 remain pending court action.
Prime suspect arrested, linked to robberies The detectives said a prime suspect only identified as Gerald, was arrested and profiled by intelligence services as the key promoter of motorcycle thefts in Kampala and the surrounding areas. The suspect allegedly hired hitmen who rob motorcycles and sometimes kill the motorcycle riders.
The detectives said the hit men or robbers take the stolen motorcycles to Gerald who buys them at a between only Shs500,000 and Shs700,000 for new motorcycles and pays Shs200,000 for the old ones. ‘During the search, stolen motorcycles, spare parts and motorcycle number plates were recovered from the suspect’s shops.