Economic crimes rise as overall crime declines

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Uganda recorded a 1.1% decline in overall crime in 2024, but economic crimes surged by 1.6%, driven by fraud, counterfeiting and financial scams, according to the Police.

Deputy Criminal Investigations director, Beata Chelimo, made the revelations while addressing the media at Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala city on February 24, 2025. She highlighted a troubling rise in white-collar crimes, including embezzlement, obtaining money by false pretences, bank fraud and corporate fraud.

“We have seen an increase in economic crimes, particularly financial fraud and forgeries. These crimes are complex and often involve highly co-ordinated networks,” Chelimo stated, adding that obtaining money, goods, or land titles by false pretences remains the most prevalent economic crime.

According to the Uganda Police Crime Report 2024, a total of 13,132 economic crime cases were registered, marking a significant increase from 12,000 cases in 2023.

While economic crimes rose, Uganda witnessed a decline in overall crime, with 218,715 cases reported in 2024, compared to 228,074 cases in 2023.

Out of the reported cases, 81,750 were taken to court, with 26,328 convictions secured, translating to a 4% conviction rate. Chelimo clarified that this rate is based on cases taken to court, not the overall number of reported crimes.

However, the backlog remains high, with 90,663 cases still under inquiry and 10,333 cases dismissed in court.

Theft remained the most commonly reported crime, accounting for 28% of total cases, though incidents dropped by 6.6%, from 65,901 cases in 2023 to 61,529 in 2024.