Police nab five-member ‘panga squad’ in Kampala robbery crackdown

She emphasised that operations are ongoing to dismantle the rest of the network, reassuring the public of KMP's commitment to tracking down criminal gangs.

The five suspects remain in police custody as investigations continue.

Evolution of the panga gangs

The arrests highlight an increasingly sophisticated evolution in local organised crime.

Historically, panga-wielding gangs in Uganda operated primarily on foot or used hijacked motorcycles (boda bodas) to ambush victims in poorly lit alleyways or at illegal late-night roadblocks.

More recently, however, these gangs have pooled resources to hire rental vehicles such as Toyota Wish and Noah models.

This logistical upgrade allows them to blend into normal traffic, transport larger strike teams, cover greater distances quickly, and move large quantities of stolen property across district boundaries.

Their targets have also shifted from home invasions and lone pedestrians to cash-intensive businesses, particularly mobile money kiosks and micro-lending bureaus, which often lack armed private security.

Disruptive operations

This tactical shift has fuelled a regional rise in violent theft, increasing public pressure on the Kampala Metropolitan Police, which covers Kampala, Mukono and Wakiso districts.

Public anxiety intensified mid-year following widely circulated CCTV and smartphone footage, including a brutal June attack in Kyengera town council, showing armed gangs violently attacking victims during late-night robberies.

Faced with growing public concern, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Uganda Police Force leadership ordered a more aggressive tactical approach.

Rather than waiting to respond to distress calls, territorial police divisions are now carrying out coordinated, intelligence-led disruptive operations.

These involve overnight raids on known criminal hideouts and suspected staging areas.

Police say the group arrested in this operation is one of several distinct criminal cells dismantled in recent weeks.

Although Uganda recorded an overall 10.2% reduction in reported crime, with cases falling from 218,715 in 2024 to 196,405 in 2025, violent property crime remains a major policing priority.

Under Ugandan law, robbery is classified as aggravated when offenders use or threaten to use lethal weapons.

Contrary to popular belief, Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) data consistently shows that bladed weapons such as pangas and knives, together with blunt objects including pavers and iron bars, are used in the majority of suburban aggravated robberies rather than firearms.

KMP South, covering Katwe, Central and Makindye Ssabagabo, frequently records the highest levels of urban property crime and gang-related break-ins because of its combination of densely populated informal settlements and commercial centres.

Meanwhile, KMP North, covering Kawempe and Nabweru, records high numbers of late-night residential and commercial robberies, while KMP East, covering Mukono and Kira, remains a hotspot for highway and vehicle-assisted robberies, with suspects exploiting the extensive road network to strike before quickly crossing into neighbouring districts.

Of the 115,301 case files submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) across all crime categories in 2025, 79,291 proceeded to court, resulting in 24,899 convictions.