Suspects behind Masaka armed robberies using Police guns charged, remanded
Police at the end of July confirmed that two firearms recovered from suspected gangsters behind violent robberies targeting coffee factories in the greater Masaka region are government-issued weapons that were previously stolen from Police officers.
The suspects (Centre) believed to be behind a series of armed robberies in the Greater Masaka region targeting coffee farmers, traders and factories at the Kyotera Court on charges of aggravated robbery. They include Alex Lule and Bruno Jjuuko. (Photos by Dismus Buregyeya)
By Dismus Buregeya
Journalists @New Vision
_________________ Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma told journalists that the rifles recovered during a joint security operation belonged to the Uganda Police Force but were stolen during earlier attacks. (File/Nancy Nanynoga/New Vision)
Two key suspects linked to a four-year wave of armed robberies targeting coffee farmers and traders in greater Masaka have been remanded to Masaka Central Prison on aggravated robbery charges. Bruno Jjuuko aka Dodo, and Alex Lule (26), from Kalagala Village in Kasilizo town council, appeared in Kyotera Magistrate Court on August 11, 2025, under heavy security.
The suspects, allegedly part of a criminal gang, used stolen Police firearms to execute robberies across Masaka. Their most recent crime involved raiding Mazima Bugagga Coffee Factory in Kyotera district, stealing shillings 150 million last month. During a subsequent chase, one suspect, identified as Mashete, was fatally shot, while two Police-issued machine guns and a motorcycle were recovered near Kyanamukaka Town.
Remanded till late August
Kyotera Grade I Magistrate Iginitius Ategeka remanded Jjuuko and Lule until August 27 for further hearings. Prosecutors revealed that three additional suspects: Gerald Mwanje, Fred Ssentenza, and Christine Namwanje, had also been arrested and remanded. The stolen firearms, recovered during a joint police-Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) operation, were confirmed to belong to the Police force.
Police at the end of July confirmed that two firearms recovered from suspected gangsters behind violent robberies targeting coffee factories in the greater Masaka region are government-issued weapons that were previously stolen from Police officers.
During the joint security briefing at Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, on July 28, 2025, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma told journalists that the rifles recovered during a joint security operation belonged to the Uganda Police Force but were stolen during earlier attacks.
👉 Police confirm guns recovered in Masaka robberies were stolen from officers
The officers from whom the guns were taken have since been charged with negligence.
“These firearms were confirmed to be our own. They were forcibly taken from Police officers in separate incidents. Unfortunately, the suspects later used them to commit a series of violent crimes, including robberies at coffee factories,” Kituuma said.
Recent attacks
The gang’s brazen crimes escalated last month with a brazen daylight robbery at Kifuta Village, Kabira sub-county. Prominent businessman Andrew Kaggwa, 40, manager of Mazima Bugagga Coffee Factory, was targeted.
The joint Police-UPDF operation led to the gang’s partial dismantling, though investigators continue to hunt for remaining members.