Bank of Uganda burglary suspect to be charged

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Four suspects arrested in connection with the Bank of Uganda (BOU) break-in and theft of six laptops are today, May 20, 2026, expected to be arraigned before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court.

Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire today said the suspects will face charges of office breaking, theft, receiving stolen property and retaining stolen property.

“We would like to inform members of the media that Central Police Station Kampala (CPS) will today arraign four suspects before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court in connection with the theft of six laptop computers belonging to BOU.”

Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire today said the suspects will face charges of office breaking, theft, receiving stolen property and retaining stolen property. (File photo)

The suspects are Boaz Micheal Kule, Ramathan Kabuya alias Rama, Isaac Lubangakene Izoo, and Jorem Jude Oedo. They face charges of office breaking, theft, receiving stolen property, and retaining stolen property.

Owoyesigyire said the theft occurred on the night of May 3, 2026, at the BOU offices along Kampala Road.

“All the stolen laptops have since been recovered. We would like to inform the general public that investigations into the theft of laptop computers belonging to the BoU are progressing steadily. Following the earlier arrest of two suspects and the recovery of two of the stolen laptops, police conducted rigorous investigations which led to the arrest of two additional suspects, bringing the total number of suspects in custody to four,” he added.

Owoyesigyire explained that the additional arrests also led to the recovery of four more laptop computers.

“KMP remains committed to ensuring that all those involved in criminal activities are brought to justice,” Owoyesigyire added.

On Monday, May 4, 2026, BOU confirmed unknown suspects, breached security protocols at their main office, Plot 45, Kampala Road—the shorter tower near City Square, situated between Church House on Kampala Road and the East African Development Bank Tower on Shimoni Road and stole laptops.

The bank, in a statement, said the incident occurred overnight, and they only became aware of the break-in and theft on Monday morning.

“BoU wishes to inform the general public that an incident of unlawful entry was detected on Monday morning at its Head Office premises at Plot 45, Kampala Road, the shorter tower near City Square, situated between Church House on Kampala Road and the East African Development Bank Tower on Shimoni Road. The incident is believed to have occurred overnight, during which seven laptop computers were stolen,” the bank said.

BoU noted that the matter is currently under investigation, and they were working closely with the relevant security agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and to take appropriate action.

“BOU assures the public that its core operations and services remain fully functional and have not been disrupted by this incident. Further updates will be communicated as more information becomes available. BOU appreciates the public’s continued trust and patience,” the statement said.

Following the incident, the police and sister security agencies, including the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces, the Defence Intelligence and Security (DIS), the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), visited the scene on Monday morning, and items of evidential value were picked.

A police sniffer dog was introduced to the scene of the crime, and it led the police to three buildings downtown where the suspected stolen items were allegedly kept.

There was heavy police and military deployment at Kalungi Plaza, Kirumira Towers and Mutaasa Kafeero buildings in Kampala, and a search for the stolen items was conducted.

Security personnel sealed off the premises in an operation that took almost eight hours. Those found inside the building were not allowed to move out, and no one was allowed to enter the building. Several suspects accused of dealing in stolen mobile phones were arrested during the crackdown.

It was not yet clear by press time whether this was the work of an insider or criminal elements who took advantage of the security lapse to carry out the heist.