18 suspects arrested over assault, robbery while wearing NRM t-shirts

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Police on Monday, July 21, 2025, said they had arrested 18 suspects in connection with the National Resistance Movement (NRM) parliamentary primary elections held in Nsambya, Kampala, on July 17, 2025.

During the incident, a gang dressed in party colours assaulted and robbed members of the public.

Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy spokesperson for Kampala Metropolitan Police, said the 18 suspects had been charged with simple robbery and would be produced in court.

“The territorial police at Kabalagala, in coordination with other security agencies, are actively investigating a case of robbery and assault that occurred on July 17, 2025, during the NRM parliamentary primary elections in Nsambya, Kampala. A disturbing video has been widely circulated on social media showing a group of thugs robbing and mugging members of the public in broad daylight. The footage was promptly reviewed by a team of investigators at Kabalagala Police Station. Several suspects were positively identified as part of the group involved in the violent acts,” Owoyesigyire said.

He revealed that on the same day, Thursday, Police responded swiftly to the incident, leading to the immediate arrest of eight suspects.

“Following further analysis of CCTV footage and intelligence gathered during interrogations, an intelligence-led operation was conducted on July 20 2025, targeting the remaining perpetrators. As a result, ten additional suspects were arrested. They include: Philip Were; Phillip Were; Sharif Lubwama; Patrick Wasike; Brian Ngobi; Shafiq Mugisha; Rashid Sebisaba; Emmanuel Ochwo; Abdul Rakim; Brian Ominga and Meddy Katongole a.k.a. Baros,” he added.

Owoyesigyire said that upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to having participated in the robbery and assault of innocent civilians during the electoral exercise.

“The Police remains committed to restoring public safety and ensuring that all perpetrators of such criminal acts are brought to justice. Further intelligence-led operations are ongoing to apprehend additional suspects still at large. We continue to appeal to the public to share any information that may lead to the arrest of the remaining suspects,” he stated.

This is the second time alleged goons dressed in NRM T-shirts have descended on members of the public and robbed them.

On June 28, 2025, a similar gang dressed in yellow T-shirts was seen in a viral video assaulting and robbing people of their property in downtown Kampala.

The violent scenes, which spread rapidly on social media, occurred shortly after President Yoweri Museveni, the NRM national chairman, collected nomination forms from the party's secretariat on Kyadondo Road, signalling his intent to run as the party's flagbearer in the next presidential election.

Police have since arrested over 30 suspects who were charged with simple robbery and assault and subsequently remanded.

In a statement released a day after the incident, the NRM secretary general, Richard Todwong, described the incident as "regrettable" and "very unfortunate," but suggested it may have been a calculated move by political rivals to tarnish the party's image.

"We cannot rule out that those could be elements of the opposition that dressed in our t-shirts and caused that incident," Todwong told journalists. "Because in the history of NRM, our youth have never behaved like that. That behaviour is not for NRM. It is similar to the behaviours of other parties."

The secretary general announced that the party, in conjunction with state security agencies, had launched an investigation into the matter. He insisted that the individuals involved were not representative of the NRM's youth wing and that their conduct was alien to the party's code of conduct.

"The footage is there, the faces are known. The police are investigating each and every one of them who was involved in this," he affirmed, promising accountability.

While strongly suggesting a setup by political opponents, Todwong offered an apology to the victims who were terrorised and robbed in broad daylight.

"We don't condone such behaviour and we do apologise for those that were affected," he stated. "The fact that they used our t-shirt to cause that is bad enough."