Mukono, Uganda: Fear and frustration is mounting along the Seeta–Gwafu–Mukono corridor as residents demand a national-level security crackdown on a violent and highly coordinated phone-theft and burglary gang that has turned the busy highway and surrounding villages into a daily danger zone.
Community members say local police are overwhelmed, with crime escalating sharply in recent weeks, from brazen roadside robberies to deadly attacks linked to boda-boda gangs operating with increasing boldness.
Residents highlight a troubling pattern of incidents that have intensified public alarm, including a shop owner who was killed in a gang robbery on Seeta–Gwafu Road two weeks ago, and most recently, the OC Ntawo, ASP Bagenda Emmanuel, was shot dead over the weekend while pursuing suspected boda-boda thieves.
Women and passengers stuck in Jinja–Mukono highway traffic now face daily phone-snatching and handbag thefts, with attackers, mostly youths, striking in seconds and vanishing on motorcycles. This adds to a growing number of night-time break-ins targeting homes and shops in Kigunga, Seeta, Gwafu and neighbouring villages.
Residents say crime is no longer opportunistic but a well-organised and relentless operation.
Break-In Incident Reveals Key Criminal Link
A recent break-in in Kigunga, where a television was stolen, helped expose a critical lead. Community members traced the stolen TV to one DJ Fred, a man widely known in the area as a major buyer and distributor of stolen property.
Locals describe him as the central broker (“musuubuzi w’ebibbe”) who funds, coordinates and facilitates the gang’s operations by providing instant cash for stolen phones, TVs, fridges and handbags, hosting gang members at his bar located along the dark Kigunga–Seeta/Gwafu stretch, redistributing stolen items or negotiating to resell them to victims and connecting thieves, boda riders, brokers and other criminal elements.
The gang is reported to operate from a hideout behind the mosque opposite Gasco Petro Station on the Jinja–Mukono highway, a point used to monitor traffic before launching snatch-and-escape attacks.
At night, the group switches tactics, targeting homes and shops deep inside villages, while stolen goods are delivered to a nearby bar that acts as their clearing point.
Residents Appeal for National Security Reinforcement
Locals are appealing to top national security organs, including CID Headquarters, Kampala Metropolitan Crime Intelligence, SID Kireka and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, to intervene urgently.
They argue that local police units lack the manpower and resources to dismantle a gang that has become increasingly violent, organised and emboldened. “The crime here is daily, predictable and organised. We need serious reinforcements,” one resident said.
Community members are now calling for the immediate arrest and interrogation of the main buyer of stolen items, a full raid on the gang’s known base behind the mosque, restoration of safety along the Kigunga–Seeta–Mukono corridor and stronger traffic and patrol deployments during peak hours.
Residents warn that unless urgent action is taken, the criminal network will continue to exploit congestion, weak lighting and under-resourced policing to terrorise the area. They insist that arresting this key figure would collapse the entire supply chain behind the surge in robberies.
If you would like your article/opinion to be published on Uganda’s most authoritative news platform, send your submission on: [email protected]. You can also follow DailyExpress on WhatsApp and on Twitter (X) for realtime updates.
