Police Admit Recovered Guns in Kyotera Robbery Belong to the Force
The robbery took place last week at Kifuta Village, Kabira Sub-County in Kyotera, where five armed men attacked Andrew Kagwa, 40, the manager of Mazima Bugaga Coffee Factory.
The Uganda Police have admitted that two guns recovered from suspected armed thugs who stole Shs50 million from a coffee factory in Kyotera District belong to the police. The robbery took place last week at Kifuta Village, Kabira Sub-County in Kyotera, where five armed men attacked Andrew Kagwa, 40, the manager of Mazima Bugaga Coffee Factory.
The suspects fled with Shs50 million after assaulting the manager. Police pursued the assailants, leading to a confrontation in which one suspect was shot dead while the rest escaped. The incident sparked widespread concern on social media, with the public questioning how the robbers had acquired semi-automatic firearms.
During a press briefing, Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke confirmed that two guns and a motorcycle were recovered from the scene. He revealed that forensic analysis confirmed the guns were police-issued. “There have been concerns from the public, people wondering how robberies got such heavily firearms. But we want to clarify that those two guns are for police, which were stolen from our officers in the Greater Masaka region,” Rusoke said.
Without naming the officers involved, Rusoke said those who lost the weapons were arrested and are currently on remand facing criminal charges. “We got the report of from them of losing those guns, we went ahead to carry out more investigations and apprehended the two officers. They are currently on remand on charges of negligence on their side,” he added. He noted that although cases of lost firearms are not new, the circumstances surrounding the loss of these particular guns raised suspicions and warranted the officers’ arrest.
In 2021, four police officers and a District Commander were arrested over suspected involvement in highway robberies in the Greater Masaka region, raising further concerns over possible police complicity in criminal activities.
