The Kira Magistrates Court has remanded four suspects on charges of aggravated trafficking of adults and children for purposes of sexual exploitation; in a case prosecutors say is linked to an organized criminal network operating in Wakiso District. The accused are Vivian Kobela, a housewife; Martha Lubango; Irene Naziwa; and Juma Oguti, 28, a private security guard. Kobela, Lubang,o and Naziwa are residents of Mbalwa and Kyaliwajjala in Kira Municipality, while Oguti resides in Mbalwa, Wakiso District.
The four are jointly charged with Aminah Nalubega, 26, a talk show worker, and Madinah Namatovu, 20, a peasant, who did not appear in court. Magistrate Ivan Seguya issued a criminal summons requiring the two to appear at the next court session. The charges were read to the four accused who appeared in court. However, they were not allowed to enter pleas because the offences are capital in nature and can only be tried by the High Court.
According to court records, the suspects are charged under the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act for offences allegedly committed between September 2025 and May 2026. Prosecution alleges that the accused, together with other suspects still at large, recruited, transported, received, and harboured victims through fraud, deception, abuse of power,r and exploitation of vulnerable persons.
One of the charges relates to the alleged trafficking of a 17-year-old girl for harmful child labour. The remaining counts concern aggravated trafficking in persons for purposes of sexual exploitation. The charge sheet contains 22 counts, including one count of aggravated trafficking in children and 21 counts of aggravated trafficking in persons.
Chief State Attorney Cate Basuuta told the court that investigations are still ongoing and that additional suspects connected to the alleged trafficking network remain at large. Court documents indicate that prosecutors believe the offences were committed by an organized criminal syndicate operating on a large scale within Mbalwa, Kira Municipality. The prosecution alleges that vulnerable individuals were targeted and subjected to various forms of exploitation.
The suspects were remanded until July 2, 2026, when the court will receive an update on the progress of the investigations. The charges stem from investigations into an alleged online sexual exploitation ring uncovered during a raid conducted by the Directorate of Crime Intelligence in Kampala.
During the operation, detectives arrested 27 young women who were allegedly being filmed and streamed on online adult platforms targeting foreign audiences. Police subsequently launched a manhunt for former Obsessions music group manager Ronnie Mulindwa, whom investigators suspect was among the masterminds behind the operation. Two other suspects are also being sought.
According to police investigations, many of the women involved had allegedly been recruited from different parts of the country, including Kampala, Wakiso, Mukono, Masaka, Lyantonde, and the Busoga sub-region. Detectives further allege that some of the women were assigned new identities to conceal their activities from relatives and acquaintances.
Police also claim that, beyond online streaming, some victims were deployed to entertain wealthy clients at private parties and high-end hotels within the Kampala Metropolitan Area. Prosecutors allege that Kobela is a girlfriend of Mulindwa, Lubango was involved in recruiting victims, while Oguti worked as a security guard at premises where the alleged exploitation took place.
Human trafficking is a serious offence under Ugandan law. Under the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act, aggravated trafficking offences can attract severe penalties, including life imprisonment, particularly where minors are involved or where the offences are committed by organized criminal groups. The allegations remain before the court, and all accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
