In a troubling twist to last week’s daylight robbery in Kyotera District, police have confirmed that the two rifles recovered from the scene were not just any weapons — they were Uganda Police Force firearms that had mysteriously vanished from the force’s own armory.
The robbery, which left one suspect dead and Shs50 million missing, has shaken public trust not just because of the brazen theft, but because it suggests a deeper rot within law enforcement. The criminals weren’t just armed — they were armed with government-issued weapons.
The target: Andrew Kagwa, manager of Mazima Bugaga Coffee Factory, ambushed in broad daylight in Kifuta Village. The assailants, five in number, executed a well-planned attack and fled. One was gunned down during a police pursuit. The rest melted away, leaving behind two rifles and a motorcycle.
At a Monday press briefing, police spokesperson SCP Kituuma Rusoke confirmed what many feared: the guns belonged to the police.
“These were our guns,” Rusoke admitted. “The officers who lost them have been charged and are currently on remand.”
But this wasn’t just a case of poor oversight. Rusoke acknowledged the loss pointed to “gross negligence.” The fact that these firearms — tools of state power — found their way into criminal hands raises pressing questions about internal controls and the vulnerability of the system meant to protect citizens.
“If you lose a gun,” Rusoke said, “we investigate the context… If your defense is weak or unacceptable, you are held accountable.”
The statement rings hollow for many, who wonder how many other lost weapons are out there, circulating in the underworld.
With the suspects still at large and the stolen money unrecovered, this incident adds fuel to growing concerns about compromised security within the very institutions tasked with enforcing the law.
