crime 1 May 2026 Daily Monitor (Uganda)
Rising Gang Violence Grips Eastern Uganda After Soroti Mobile Money Operator's Murder
The brutal shooting of 36-year-old Patricia Kokunda in Soroti City highlights the alarming evolution of criminal gangs in eastern Uganda into organized, armed networks fueled by poverty and unemployment. Police have arrested 13 suspects and recovered weapons, but experts warn of deepening social and security crises. Source: https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/magazines/people-power/beasts-of-the-eastern-wild-5443660
Residents of Soroti City recently witnessed the reconstruction of the crime scene where Patricia Kokunda, a 36-year-old mobile money operator, was fatally shot on April 3 near Goalman Supermarket. Assailants stopped her taxi at around 4:40am, dragged her out, shot her multiple times, and fled with her handbag containing cash and valuables. She died upon arrival at Soroti Regional Referral Hospital.
Police launched operations across Soroti, Amuria, Kalaki, and Abim districts, arresting 13 suspects charged with aggravated robbery and murder. Investigators recovered 18 SMG rifle bullets hidden in a grass-thatched kitchen, along with the murder weapon earlier found. Suspects had attempted to bury evidence in a garden before fleeing.
This incident underscores the growing threat from gangs in eastern Uganda, transforming from loose youth groups into coordinated syndicates using rifles, motorcycles, and multi-district networks. Named groups like Street Killer, Mission Finisher, Street Hunters, City Takers, and others terrorize Mbale, Jinja, and surrounding areas with knives, hammers, and extortion.
Security expert Wilfred Mugisha notes the shift to calculated brutality in towns and trading centers. Former Deputy Inspector General Julius Odwe links the surge to poverty, joblessness, poor leadership, and under-resourced police, warning of eroded state legitimacy and psychological insecurity.
The 2025 Police Annual Crime Report recorded 190 murder-by-shooting cases nationwide, up slightly from 2024, with eastern sub-regions like Busoga North and East seeing spikes—45 cases in Busoga East alone. Joint operations in Mbale, Iganga, Jinja, and others yielded 23 arrests, two SAR rifles, ammunition, and a vehicle.
Over 4,200 homicides were reported in 2025, many by assault, mob action, shooting, or hacking. Odwe calls for grassroots policing, community engagement, and addressing moral decay amid a rising youth population. Police emphasize disruptive operations, youth involvement in community policing, and sub-county stations for faster response in this border-rich region with cities like Jinja, Mbale, and Soroti.
Source: Daily Monitor (Uganda)