A Bank of Uganda official has told the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court that she returned to work after a weekend break to find offices ransacked, doors obstructed and laptops missing, as the prosecution continued presenting evidence against eight security personnel accused of neglecting to prevent a felony.
Tracy Murungi Amugine, 26, a banking officer in-charge of licensing and regulation at the Central Bank, was the second prosecution witness to testify in the case.
While giving her evidence, Murungi told court that she arrived at Plot 45 at about 6:45am on May 4, only to notice signs that the building had been broken into.
“I realized there were some changes. There were mud footsteps, I saw window louvres pulled out and put down,” Ms Murungi told Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Rehema Nsumba Kidaso yesterday.
She said she also found a grey laptop bag and a laptop lying in the corridor on the third floor where her office is located.
Ms Murungi said she had last been at the office on April 30, when she left at about 3pm. She had not left anyone behind when she departed, and her laptop was left on a desk in an office occupied by a colleague, who was away.
She testified further that on the morning of the incident, she collected keys to a store room and keys from the ground-floor desk and proceeded to the third floor using a lift.
She said she found the cabins in the office open and discovered that her laptop and that of her manager were missing.
“When I attempted to enter my office, I couldn’t enter directly from the door because a chair had been placed behind the door. When I entered the cabins open… I saw what appeared to be a foot-print on my desk which, in my view, could have been used to jump from open,” Ms Murungi narrated.
Murungi said she immediately alerted the administrative officer, Ms Agnes Nanyanzi, who went to inspect the scene and contacted security personnel.
Identifying laptops
She further told court that she could identify her laptop, describing it as a grey Lenovo ThinkPad. She explained that staff who joined the bank in 2024 were issued Lenovo ThinkPad computers, while employees who had joined earlier were given HP laptops.
During the proceedings, Chief State Attorney Joan Keko brought seven laptops to court and submitted them for identification, asking Ms Murungi to identify the computers they recovered.
Ms Keko, who is leading the prosecution, said the laptops were being tendered as part of the evidence in the case.
However, when Ms Murungi was asked to identify her stolen laptop from those presented, she was unable to pick it out.
She told court that she believed she could identify her computer based on its appearance and identifying details, although she acknowledged that the number she expected to see was not visible on the laptops presented in court.
Under cross-examination, Ms Murungi confirmed that security personnel were deployed at the bank and that there were CCTV cameras in the corridors. When asked whether she had retrieved the footage, she said she had not, but that investigators had access to it.
She also confirmed that staff use their card key to access the building.
Earlier, the court heard from Assistant Inspector of Police George Wamala, a 43-year-old police officer attached to the Counter Terrorism Directorate, Tactical Department and deployed at the Bank of Uganda.
Mr Wamala said on May 4, he reported for duty at about 6am. About half an hour later, his colleague, Henry Zziwa, informed him that there had been a break-in on Plot 45, Level Three.
He rushed to the scene and found the area cordoned off. Inside, he observed muddy brown footsteps, scattered laptop bags, what appeared to be glasses, and a laptop in the corridor.
He was instructed by the bank’s director of security, Innocent Mubangizi, to report the matter to police. He subsequently reported a case of office breaking and theft at Central Police Station before returning to the bank with officers from the Kampala CID team for further investigations.
During cross-examination, Mr Wamala said he did not know which gadgets had been stolen at the time he first arrived. He also said he did not know who had been guarding the premises when the break-in occurred or exactly when the offices were entered.
Prosecution case
The prosecution alleges that the eight accused security personnel failed to take reasonable means to prevent the commission of office breaking and theft at the central bank.
Ms Keko asked the court to issue summons for additional witnesses and adjourn the matter.
Chief Magistrate Kidaso adjourned the case to September 1 for further hearing.
According to the prosecution, the accused and others still at large on May 4, at Bank of Uganda headquarters in Kampala Central Division, allegedly failed to use reasonable means to prevent the commission of the felonies of office breaking and theft by unknown persons.
About the Suspects
The suspects include Sgt. Joseph Amone and police constables Wilson Ouma, Thomas Omach, Shafic Mungusho, and Brian Oryono, all officers deployed at the Bank of Uganda under the Counter Terrorism Tactical Unit.
Others charged are Alex Onduri and Sulaiman Orachi, both security guards attached to Ultimate Security Ltd, and Morish Ocen, a guard employed by Surazen Uganda Limited.
They are jointly charged with Boaz Michael Kule, a casual worker; Ramathan Kabuye, alias Rama, a bus conductor; Isaac Rubangakene, alias Izoo, a mobile phone accessories dealer; and Joram Jude Oado, a computer technician.
The suspects are accused of office breaking, while the security personnel face charges of neglecting to prevent a felony, contrary to Section 362 of the Penal Code Act.