Guard on the run after gold and sh790m cash heist in Kampala

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Police said they have launched a manhunt for a private security guard suspected of stealing gold and cash worth nearly sh790m from a vehicle he was assigned to protect in Ntinda, Kampala.

The suspect was identified as Justine Akena, a guard attached to Magnum Security Group.

He allegedly made off with a bag containing sh290m in cash and about 900 grammes of gold valued at approximately sh500m.

According to the Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire, the incident occurred on the night of April 10, 2026, at the offices of Goldex Global Uganda Limited located along Mawanda Road.

“Preliminary findings indicate that the suspect, who had been deployed as a security guard at the premises, accessed a vehicle where a bag containing cash and gold had been temporarily kept and stole it before fleeing,” Owoyesigyire said while addressing a press conference at the police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala on Monday.

Police records show that the theft was reported the following day by Maggie Katuramu, an administrator at the company and a resident of Ntinda.

Investigators say the bag had been left inside the vehicle by a company associate identified as Jordan, who feared carrying it along Mawanda Road at night due to rising cases of bag snatching.

“It has been established that the vehicle keys were routinely kept within the office premises on the instructions of the company management, a practice the suspect is believed to have studied over time,” Owoyesigyire added.

On the night of the incident, the suspect had earlier been driven to and from town by a company driver, only identified as Arthur, returning to the office at around 8pm when the premises had already been locked.

Police say the suspect later used his access as a guard to open the vehicle, take the bag, and then secure the premises before disappearing.

A team of detectives visited the scene, reviewed CCTV footage, recorded witness statements, and traced the suspect’s phone location data. Officers also raided his residence in Naguru Go Down, but he was not found there.

The case has been registered at Mawanda Road Police Station as stealing from a motor vehicle, and investigations are ongoing.

“We are actively pursuing the suspect and urge anyone with information about his whereabouts to report to the nearest police station,” Owoyesigyire said.