Why artiste Fik Gaza was re-arrested

KAMPALA - Musician Shafik Jjingo, 27, popularly known by his stage name Fik Gaza, was rearrested on Tuesday (April 8). 

The artiste, who had just secured bail over a previous robbery charge involving sh10m, was picked up again and is currently being detained at Wakiso Police Station. 

The Police say the latest arrest stems from an October 2024 incident in Bulenga, Wakiso district, where Gaza is accused of attacking and robbing a journalist from BTM Television during a musical performance. 

The victim, Onah Mugisha, was deployed by his employer to cover the event when the alleged assault occurred. 

According to Mugisha’s complaint filed under Wakiso CRB 335/2024, he was recording Gaza’s performance at around 10:00pm when one of the singer’s crew members reportedly snatched his mobile phone and handed it over to Gaza as they exited the stage. 

“I was recording Gaza after his performance when one of his crew members grabbed my phone and gave it to him. As I tried to demand for it, he kicked me in the face,” Mugisha said in a statement. 

“I blacked out momentarily and was later helped to seek medical attention.” 

Mugisha, who allegedly dislocated his jaw, was reportedly examined by a Police surgeon and later transferred to a hospital, where he has been receiving treatment. 

Sources close to the investigation confirmed that the journalist has been nursing the wounds since the incident. 

When Gaza was initially arrested last Thursday for a separate robbery case, Mugisha informed officers at Katwe Police Station — where Gaza was being held — about the earlier Bulenga incident. 

This tipped off the investigators, who promptly revived Mugisha’s complaint and transferred the case file to the resident state attorney for legal guidance. 

It also emerged yesterday that while in detention at Katwe Police station, Fik Gaza recorded a charge and caution statement related to the offence. Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the latest developments. 

“Investigations into that matter have progressed, and the suspect is now in custody,” he said. 

Before this latest arrest, Gaza had been charged with simple robbery over a case in which he and a bouncer, Abduratif Ssemanda alias Jonah, allegedly stole sh10m from a businessman, Julius Otieno, on February 24, 2025. 

The duo appeared before Grade One Magistrate Patience Lorna Tukundane at the Makindye Chief Magistrates’ Court. Otieno was reportedly ambushed at New Life School on Luwafu Road in Makindye, Kampala, where Gaza and his accomplices allegedly knocked him off his motorcycle, accused him of being a thief, and then robbed him. 

The accused denied the charges and were granted bail — Gaza was ordered to pay cash bail of sh1m, but he was immediately rearrested after stepping out of court. 

Under sections 266 and 267 of Uganda’s Penal Code Act, simple robbery attracts a maximum jail term of 10 years upon conviction.

Probe into criminal network 

Gaza’s arrest, according to Police sources, unveiled a larger criminal syndicate reportedly operating at his residence in Luwafu zone, Makindye division. 

Crime Intelligence operatives revealed that his home served as a strategic planning hub for robberies orchestrated by the so-called Egaali gangs — urban ghetto crews linked to musicians and known for their violent exploits. 

One such case involved a daylight robbery on Buganda Road on March 14, 2025, where a Congolese businesswoman, Justine Katugo, lost $100,000 (sh367.7m) to a motorcycle gang. 

Gaza’s arrest, according to Police sources, unveiled a larger criminal syndicate reportedly operating at his residence in Luwafu zone, Makindye division. (Credit: Margret Zalwango)

Surveillance footage and intelligence led to the arrest of multiple suspects, some of whom named Gaza’s home as the place where the robbery was planned. 

On January 23, a mobile money agent, Eunice Nekesa, was robbed of sh50m, including agent banking devices. 

The Police said surveillance footage and local tip-offs led them to two motorcycles involved in the heist, with suspects again linking the planning to Gaza’s residence. 

That case is being handled under CRB 089/2025. In another operation on March 28, a businesswoman, Rashida Nabbaale, was attacked by machete-wielding men in Ndejje parish. 

A follow-up Police ambush on March 29 on Salaama Road foiled a second planned robbery. The suspects that were arrested implicated Gaza once again.

Murder charge for Gaza associate

Compounding the gravity of the criminal web, one of Gaza’s alleged associates, Charles Zziwa alias Mzungu, was charged with murder alongside five others, including Sowed Kyagonga, a local council leader. 

They allegedly killed Tonny Migadde on October 9, 2024, in Kirombe Zone Five, Makindye. Due to the capital nature of the offence, the Makindye Chief Magistrates’ Court could not allow the accused to take plea. 

The court also ordered a medical assessment for Zziwa after he claimed to be 17 years old, not 23 as recorded. Gaza’s entanglement in crime has spotlighted the blurred lines between entertainment and criminality. 

Another artiste, Alien Skin (real name Patrick Mulwana), a close associate of Gaza, was arrested in 2024 over gang-related violence and phone theft.