Police have arrested seven people in connection with the murder of Patricia Kairu, a student of Kampala International University (KIU) whose body was found dumped in an unfinished building in Wakiso District last month. Kairu’s body was discovered on August 4, 2026, in Kiyanja Cell, Nabbingo Ward, within Kyengera Town Council, after she was allegedly killed under circumstances that police are still investigating.
Among those arrested is Mawanda Abdul Swabur, who was picked up in Kiyanja on September 3 after detectives established that he had arranged to meet Kairu in Kyengera on the day she was killed. His arrest led investigators to the recovery of Kairu’s mobile phone the following day. The phone was recovered from Phillian Matata, a security guard at Seroma Hardware, and his wife, Robinah Ayikoru.
Preliminary police inquiries indicated that the phone had been sold through a mobile phone shop in the basement of KK Plaza along Namirembe Road. Detectives subsequently mounted an operation at KK Plaza on September 8, arresting 37 suspects and recovering 360 second-hand mobile phones from 15 shops.
Five of those arrested during the operation, Baker Maiso, Brian Kayongo, Morris Mugerwa, Christine Nagawa and Brian Balyejusa, were identified as having links to the shop from which Kairu’s phone was allegedly sold.
Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson ASP Luke Owoyesigyire said all seven suspects connected to the murder investigation remain in custody as detectives work to establish the circumstances surrounding Kairu’s death and determine the roles, if any, played by those arrested.
“We remain committed to thoroughly investigating the matter and bringing all those found responsible to justice. The suspects will be produced before court upon completion of investigations,” Owoyesigyire said. The case has drawn attention to a troubling history of violent deaths involving KIU students.
In 2025, police in Bushenyi District arrested two men in connection with the killing of 21-year-old Linette Karunga, a student at KIU’s Western Campus. Karunga’s body was discovered in Nyakashebeya Village.
Four years earlier, in 2022, police investigated the murder of KIU final-year law student Adam Rukundo, who was found dead in his room in Konge, Makindye.
The latest case comes as police continue to pursue leads into Kairu’s killing, with investigators expected to establish how she died, trace the movement of her phone after the murder and determine whether the suspects arrested so far have any direct connection to the killing-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
