Police have arrested two more suspects in connection with the brutal mob killing of national rugby player Sydney Gongodyo, bringing the total number of individuals in custody to 10.
Gongodyo, a 27-year-old forward for the national 15s team (Rugby Cranes) and a stalwart for the Stanbic Black Pirates Rugby Club, was beaten to death on Friday, June 5, 2026, in the Kampala suburb of Bukoto.
In an evening update on Tuesday, June 9, Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Racheal Kawala confirmed the latest arrests, identifying the duo as Mugwiisa Obed and Owino Joseph, a local security guard.
According to the police, Mugwiisa was captured on video footage wearing a yellow T-shirt and carrying a large log during the fatal attack.
“During interrogation, [Mugwiisa] led investigators to a local laundry (dobbi) where he had taken the yellow T-shirt he was seen wearing on the day of the attack. The garment was subsequently recovered,” Ms Kawala said.
The duo joins eight other suspects arrested earlier. They include Ssebagala Noordin, Ayebazibwe Roden, Namukose Juliet, Elly Mondoni, Herbert Twinomujuni, Katsigazi Perigrino, Darlious Tayebwa, and Hannington Tugume.
Preliminary investigations indicate that Gongodyo, who was also a student at Makerere University, was attacked by a chaotic crowd after being falsely accused of snatching a woman’s handbag. Although police intervened and rushed him to Mulago National Referral Hospital, the sportsman succumbed to his severe injuries shortly after arrival.
The tragic loss sent shockwaves through the sports fraternity, forcing the postponement of the highly anticipated Uganda Rugby Premiership semi-final matches. Uganda Rugby Union President, Godwin Kayangwe, described Gongodyo’s death as a “monumental loss to the sport.”
“Efforts are ongoing to identify, trace, and apprehend other individuals believed to have participated in the incident. We remain committed to ensuring that all those responsible for this criminal act are held accountable,” Ms. Kawala stated, warning that participating in a lynch mob is a capital offense.
Gongodyo’s death shines a harsh spotlight on Uganda’s persistent crisis of vigilantism and mob action. Law enforcement authorities warn that criminals frequently exploit crowd chaos to target innocent individuals, steal from victims, or settle personal grudges under the guise of jungle justice.
According to the Uganda Police Force Annual Crime Report 2025, mob action accounted for 950 registered murder cases-a staggering 22.4 per cent of all 4,238 homicides recorded nationwide. The report highlighted the Kampala Metropolitan area as a major hotspot for vigilante justice, where most victims are beaten to death using blunt objects, stones, or wooden planks over low-level offenses like alleged petty theft.
Human rights groups have previously attributed this deadly trend to systemic public distrust in the formal justice system, corruption, and delayed prosecutions, which drive communities to take the law into their own hands.
However, police have reiterated that public frustration is no excuse for murder. Security agencies maintain that all perpetrators identified in the video footage or linked to the Bukoto attack will face immediate murder charges in court as investigations continue.