“This boy had a bright future ahead of him, but has ended up losing his life in stupid activities,” an elderly resident of Nekina parish in Khabutola sub-county, Manafwa district said after the burial of 18-year-old Ivan Lumbuku.

Lumbuku was killed during a fight at a party in Kisti village on October 8, 2021. He was reportedly part of a local youth group that used to disrupt night functions in the village. 

The residents said Lumbuku and other youth from Nekina had been part of a gang that had made it a habit to cause violence during night events such as vigils and wedding parties. 

“They cause violence and loot property. They destroy people’s crops on their way to and from the night events. They are always high on drugs,” Sarah Nelima, whose garden of beans was reportedly destroyed by the group, says.

After the closure of schools by the Government to curb the spread of COVID-19 in 2020, several youth groups in Manafwa and the neighbouring districts such as Tororo and Mbale formed criminal gangs. It is alleged that the gangs were boosted by students who were home for a long time. 

In Manafwa, the top two notorious rival gangs are Bubulo Boys and Butta Boys. The residents say members of the two gangs move with knives and iron bars and stage attacks on bodaboda riders and homes. They also disrupt vigils and parties.

During the 2021 general elections, the gangs were reportedly also hired by politicians to disrupt campaigns of opponents through intimidation of their supporters.

Police blamed

The community blames the security personnel for not doing enough to protect the locals from such gangs.

“The Police reached a point of saying they had given up. We have been left helpless. The young men abuse drugs such as kuba and marijuana with abandon. Our daughters are not safe, neither are we. We are losing a generation,” a female teacher at Bubulo Secondary School in Manafwa district who did not want to be named said.

She said the recent closure of schools for two years has worsened the situation.

“As a teacher, I used to counsel some of the students who would go overboard, but would no longer be possible because they were not in school. They were in the communities unattended to.”

Pamela Watuwa, the Manafwa Resident District Commissioner, said they launched a crackdown on the gangs following the complaints from the residents.

“The gangs are reported to be operating in Bugobero, Bupoyo, Sibanga, Buwagogo and Bubulo in Manafwa district. They camp in remote areas and deserted buildings in those areas,” Watuwa, who is also the Manafwa district security committee chairperson, said.

Watuwa said they decided to act because if the gangs were left to operate, they may become too strong for the security to manage.

Manafwa district chairperson Hosea Kigayi said 20 suspected members of the gangs between the ages of 14 and 30 were arrested and charged with attempted murder, robbery and vandalism.

Manafwa district Police commander Najib Waiswa confirmed the existence of the gangs and said their hotspots were being mapped and that the Police would patrol the areas to have them arrested.

TORORO

In Tororo district on Boxing Day, youths raided two churches in Merikit sub-county and walked away with church property.

The youth raided Asinge Catholic Church and Maliri Church of Uganda and stole alter wine, bibles, choir uniforms and musical instruments.

MPs from Tororo during a road committee meeting at the district blamed the youths’ behaviour on drug abuse, alcoholism and night burial fundraising functions which attract all sorts on individuals.

Tororo North County MP Geoffrey Ekanya said the youth assaulted an armed police officer during the festive season.

Tororo South County MP Frederick Angura said the youth slash people’s gardens while returning from local night parties and vigils.

Angura said elderly people have also been assaulted by the youth at night.
Tororo Woman MP Sarah Achieng Opendi recommended a total ban on the night functions.

MBALE

A suspected gang after being arrested by the Police in December 2021. Photo by Paul Watala

In Mbale, empty school premises during the lockdown and incomplete buildings had become hideouts of criminal youth gangs.

Jamil Musosi, a businessman, said the gang members were aged between 17 and 30.

The most affected areas were routes from Mbale city to neighbouring rural areas such as Namabasa, Kasanvu, Makuduyi, Bugema, Musoto, Kamonkoli, Nakaloke among others.

Mbale Police boss Samuel Obbedi said the gangs had become a threat in the area.

"Sometimes, the thugs come from other cities and places to terrorise Mbale. We can tell them that their time is over,” Obbedi said.

Mbale city council spokesperson James Kutosi hoped the problem would disappear with the opening of schools.

“The city authorities, including the education officer, are aware of these things and we believe when schools open, the situation will change," Kutosi said.

During the festive season in December, a combined Police and army team launched an operation code-named Keep Mbale Clean to flush criminal youth gangs out of the city. The operation that was led by Arafa Kato resulted in the arrest of over 50 suspectes.

They were arrested from their hideouts around Mbale central markets, Naboa Road, Pallisa Road, Nkokonjeru, Namakwekwe Kichafu and Nkoma-Soweto.

Kato said they recovered narcotics from the hideouts of the suspects during the arrest.

He said the thugs had specialised in waylaying bodaboda riders and snatching people’s handbags, phones and laptops among other valuables.

“Some of the suspects arrested are believed to be ring leaders of the criminals who have been robbing people while riding motorcycles,” Kato said.

“We shall keep carrying out these operations until we have a crime free city,” Kato said.

Patrick Walimbwa, a mechanic in Mbale, said criminal gangs were starting to create no-go zones in the city.

"These gangs would abuse drugs without fear of the area LC1 leaders. They were untouchable. They used to threaten LC leaders who to report them to the Police," he said.

SIDE BAR

Mbale and Manafwa are among the most densely populated districts in Uganda. 

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the population density of Mbale is 1,132 people per square kilometer while that of Manafwa is 737 people per square kilometer. 

This has given rise to land fragmentation and increased household poverty. The biggest percentage of the population are the youth. 

The major economic activity in the two districts is agriculture, but because of shortage of land, many youths are migrating to other urban centres to ride bodaboda and do menial jobs at construction sites plus riding bodabodas.

Secondary school enrolment in the two districts is at 29.9%, according to UBOS. The poverty rate in Bugisu, the area, where the two districts are located is 15.2%, according to UBOS.

Additional reporting Paul Watala and Karim Muyobo