By KT Reporter
Security authorities in Kabale District have re-arrested 14 out of 18 suspected criminals who were recently released from Ndorwa Government Prison, following a surge in robberies, killings, and machete attacks that have terrorized residents in Kabale Municipality and neighboring areas.
Kabale is currently facing a security crisis, with a series of violent incidents reported across the district. The latest occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, October 1, 2025, when machete-wielding thugs attacked Albertine Hotel in Makanga Village, Butobere Ward, Central Division.
The assailants killed a night watchman identified as Stephen Natamba, 40, and severely injured the hotel owner, Loyce Kanyoro, 59. They made off with Kanyoro’s mobile phone, a 49-inch Samsung television, and other household items. On the same night, another violent robbery was reported in Karugashe, Butobere Division, where thugs broke into the home of Kenneth Sunday Kabaka. The attackers stole a vehicle (registration number UBP 471V), cash, and several mobile phones.
Fortunately, no family member was harmed. In a separate incident along Kazooba Road, Central Division, another man was attacked and cut several times on the head. Earlier, on September 19, 2025, at around 8:00 p.m., Bernard Katabazi, 48, a trailer driver from Kyanika Village, Rubirizi District, was gruesomely murdered at Habufureeka Trading Centre, Bukinda Sub-county—along the Rukiga-Kabale border.
Katabazi, who was driving a Mercedes Benz Actros trailer (registration number RAE 415A/RL2943) belonging to SOCO PRODI Limited in Rwanda, was transporting 35 tonnes of rice from Rwanda to the Mpondwe border post between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. His killers reportedly drove the trailer into Kabale, dumped his body at Nyakigugwe in Kaharo Sub-county, and made off with 50 bags of rice.
Residents, including Martin Mujuni, Diane Katushabe, Moses Barikunda, and Vanansio Mbabazi Kakogoso, say the surge in criminality has crippled night life and business in Kabale. “People now rush home early to avoid attacks, and even at home, locals sleep in fear,” one resident said.
Kabale Resident District Commissioner Retired Major Godfrey Katamba attributed the insecurity to a group of 18 habitual offenders who were recently released from Ndorwa Government Prison, where they had spent years on remand. According to Katamba, one of the suspects was tracked down and arrested in Mbarara City, while another was captured in Kayabwe, Mpigi District, after he was found charging a stolen mobile phone.
The suspect later led police to the arrest of a student of St. Ignatius University Kabale (IGUKA), who is reportedly part of the criminal gang. “The student was found with many stolen electronic items, including mobile phones and television sets,” Katamba said, declining to reveal names of the suspects for fear of jeopardizing ongoing investigations.
He added that security officials in the district plan to hold discussions with the Judiciary on how to keep the suspects away from society for an extended period, given their criminal records. Elly Maate, the Kigezi Region Police spokesperson, urged affected residents to cooperate with law enforcement. “We call upon locals to come out and pin the criminals so that they are given longer sentences instead of being released to continue from where they stopped. Many cases collapse because witnesses fail to follow them up,” Maate said.
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