Wakiso, Uganda: Details are beginning to emerge around a Monday evening military raid on Wakiso Police Division, carried out by heavily armed UPDF soldiers attached to the Presidential Taskforce on Land Matters and Environment.
The 5 PM incident, which has shocked the public and raised questions about inter-agency discipline, was reportedly led by operatives under the command of Brig. Moses Lukyamuzi.
The soldiers are said to have stormed the office of Superintendent of Police (SP) Kiiza, the Division Police Commander (DPC), and castigated her for frustrating their attempts to enforce an eviction on a contested piece of land in the district.
Eyewitnesses told media that chaos erupted after the DPC refused to sanction the eviction without a court order or clearance from the district security committee, which she chairs in the absence of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC).
“As the DPC was trying to make a phone call to her superior to consult, one of the soldiers at the rank of Warrant Officer snatched her mobile phone,” said a police source familiar with the incident. “The rest of the soldiers surrounded her office and started shooting at it.”
Ms Kiiza reportedly reached for her radio call to ask for reinforcement but was again intercepted before she could complete the message.
Realizing that help had been summoned, the soldiers attempted to flee the scene using their two vehicles, a green minibus and a Toyota Noah. However, a joint security team from the police and military intercepted some of the suspects in Nansana Township. The standoff paralysed traffic along Kampala–Hoima Road for several minutes.
In an official statement on Monday night, police confirmed that thirteen (13) soldiers were arrested in connection with the attack. “Today, June 2, 2025, at around 5:00 PM, police officers at Wakiso Police Division were attacked by military personnel, reportedly from the Presidential Taskforce on Land Matters and Environment, driving a minibus, green in colour, reg. No UBG 041U and a Toyota Noah UBR 647B,” the statement read.
“The soldiers, thirteen (13) in number, confronted the Wakiso Division Commander and other officers at the station while pursuing a land dispute. They demanded that the Division Police Commander (DPC) assist in a land eviction, which she refused, citing the absence of a court order and the lack of involvement from the district security committee.”
Police say the DPC’s refusal, based on the lack of a court order and absence of involvement from the district security committee, infuriated the soldiers. A confrontation ensued, prompting the police officers at the station to respond with armed force, leading to an exchange of gunfire that forced the soldiers to flee.
“A team from Kampala Metropolitan North Region and the UPDF pursued and apprehended the suspects at Yesu Amala in Wakiso District. They are currently in custody pending disciplinary action,” the police added.
Who is behind the raid?
The raid is reportedly connected to a land feud involving two brothers—one of them said to be the proprietor of one of Wakiso’s largest supermarkets. On June 1, employees of the supermarket owner, allegedly backed by armed soldiers, fenced off the disputed land without informing local police or the RDC.
The following day, the brother of the supermarket owner dispatched his own team to tear down the newly erected fence. Six of these men were arrested by the Taskforce soldiers and taken to Wakiso Police Station.
According to sources, SP Kiiza declined to immediately detain the suspects, opting to first consult her superiors. Her caution reportedly enraged the soldiers, triggering the violent confrontation and gunfire exchange.
This is the second attack on a police facility in Wakiso in recent weeks. In May, soldiers raided Lubowa Police Station, where they beat up the Officer-in-Charge, ASP Innocent Sunday, along with several civilians, before robbing them of mobile phones, cash, and police equipment.
That particular attack also stemmed from friction between the UPDF and the police over the custody of suspects, but police subsequently opened files of attempted murder and aggravated robbery against the soldiers involved in the Lubowa incident.
Monday’s attack highlights the growing rift between Uganda’s main security forces and has reignited calls for tighter command structures, clearer inter-agency protocols, and accountability for rogue operatives.
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