Guard hires thugs to raid Kampala building, 16 mobile money shops robbed

_________________

Police in Kampala Central Division are investigating a daring night-time burglary in which a security guard allegedly hired a gang of masked thugs to break into shops at JBK Plaza on Luwum Street, making off with over shillings 123 million among other valuables, including jewellery.

The case has been registered at Central Police Station (CPS) Kampala under CRB 1550/2025, and detectives have since launched a manhunt for the prime suspect, Bosco Gahungu, a 50-year-old guard who has been in charge of the building’s security for over 15 years.

According to the incident report filed on October 20, 2025, at 7:55 am, the crime occurred on October 18, 2025, a Saturday, at an unknown time. Most commercial buildings in the city centre are not open on Sunday. 

The alarm was raised after cleaners who opened the building early Monday morning (October 20) discovered that several shops on both the ground and first floors had been broken into.

The building’s estate manager, Jolly Kyarikunda, 45, a resident of Kansanga in Makindye East, immediately alerted Wilson Road Police post, where the case was first entered under SD Ref 05/20/10/2025 before being taken over by CPS Kampala Division.

“When our cleaners came in to begin work, they noticed that nearly all shops on the lower floors had been broken into. We found doors smashed, safes pried open, and drawers scattered,” Kyarikunda told the Police.

A joint team of detectives, crime intelligence, scene of crime officers (SOCO), and uniformed Police commanded by the Divisional CID Officer, responded to the scene, documented evidence, and recovered several exhibits.

Preliminary findings show that the main entrance to the building was still locked and intact, suggesting that the thieves gained access through an emergency door leading to the first floor.

Investigators later discovered that 16 shops, including mobile money outlets and a forex bureau, were targeted in the heist.

CCTV cameras tampered with

“The burglars took off with cash amounting to shillings 33,240,000 and $26,600 (about shillings 90 million). Most safes were forcefully opened, and several CCTV connections were tampered with,” a detective familiar with the case said.

However, one of the cameras belonging to Ronald Mihingo, the owner of Shop No. G-12, remained operational. Upon playback, footage showed the building’s security guard, Gahungu, leading three unidentified accomplices, all wearing gloves, masks, hoods, and long coats, and one carrying a breaking tool.

Like family

Peter Katongole, the head of security for JBK Estates, told Police that the suspect was a former soldier who had been trusted with the building’s safety for years.

“He was like family to us. We never imagined he could turn against the very businesses he was guarding,” Katongole said.

When officers searched the guard’s room located on the top floor of the same building, they recovered a pair of black military-style shoes and a photograph of him dressed in a UPDF uniform and armed with a PK rifle. The room was found unlocked and abandoned, with all his personal belongings still inside.

Detectives suspect that Gahungu fled immediately after the break-in, leaving his quarters open to avoid suspicion.

Police say further investigations are underway, including the retrieval of additional CCTV footage, tracking of the remaining suspects, and obtaining court orders to examine the recovered mobile phones linked to the crime.

“We have gathered substantial evidence linking the suspect to the crime. Our teams are actively pursuing him and his accomplices,” said a senior police source at CPS Kampala.

Police have urged property managers to conduct regular vetting of security personnel, particularly those with prior military service, and to ensure that CCTV systems remain functional and protected from tampering.