Alleged large theft by guard in Kampala
Ugandan police launched a manhunt after a private security guard in Kampala allegedly stole about UGX 290 million in cash and gold valued at UGX 500 million from a vehicle. Authorities reported the theft in social updates as an active investigation. (x.com)
Police in Kampala are hunting a private security guard accused of stealing about 790 million Ugandan shillings in cash and gold from a vehicle he was assigned to protect. (newvision.co.ug) Police identified the suspect as Justine Akena, a guard attached to Magnum Security Group, and said the theft happened on the night of April 10, 2026, at Goldex Global Uganda Limited on Mawanda Road in Kampala. Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire said the bag held 290 million Ugandan shillings in cash and about 900 grammes of gold valued at roughly 500 million Ugandan shillings. (nilepost.co.ug) According to police, the bag had been left inside a white Toyota Noah after a company associate decided not to carry it along Mawanda Road at night because of bag-snatching fears. Investigators said Akena allegedly opened the vehicle, took the bag, locked up the premises, and disappeared. (newvision.co.ug) The case has drawn attention because it centers on an alleged insider theft at a business handling high-value goods, not a street robbery by outsiders. Police said the vehicle keys were routinely kept inside the office compound on management instructions, a practice investigators believe the suspect had studied over time. (newvision.co.ug) It also lands as Uganda leans heavily on private guards to secure offices, homes, and commercial sites. The Observer reported in December that the country relies on more than 100,000 private security guards employed by 426 licensed firms, while police in March published a new 2026 list of licensed private security operators. (observer.ug) (pulse.ug) Police said the theft was reported the next day by Maggie Katuramu, an administrator at the company and a resident of Ntinda. Detectives visited the scene, reviewed closed-circuit television footage, recorded witness statements, and traced the suspect’s phone location data, according to Owoyesigyire. (newvision.co.ug) Officers also raided Akena’s residence in Naguru Go Down but did not find him there. Uganda Radio Network reported that the case was confirmed by Kampala Metropolitan Police and registered after the robbery at Goldex Global Limited’s offices on Mawanda Road. (ugandaradionetwork.net) (newvision.co.ug) Magnum Security Group had not publicly responded in the reports reviewed, and police said the investigation was still active as of April 13. For now, the manhunt is focused on finding the guard police say walked away from a job guarding valuables with nearly 790 million Ugandan shillings’ worth of them. (observer.ug)
