Guard arrested in Uganda theft

Uganda police say they arrested a Magnum Security Company guard who confessed to stealing cash and gold from a client vehicle in Kampala. (newvision.co.ug) Police identified the suspect as Justine Akena and said the theft happened on April 10, 2026, at Goldex Uganda Limited on Mawanda Road in Kamwokya. Investigators said the bag held Shs29 million and 900 grammes of gold worth about Shs500 million. (newvision.co.ug) According to Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire, Akena was assigned to guard the premises when he allegedly opened a Toyota Noah registered UA 264AN and took the bag. Police said he then locked the premises and disappeared. (ugbulletin.co.ug) Police said officers arrested him on April 15, 2026, at about 10:30 p.m. in Gaspa Village, Bweyale Town Council, Kiryandongo District. During questioning, police said, he admitted the theft and investigators found he had used part of the money to open a retail shop. (ugandaonline.net) The case lands as Uganda is tightening oversight of private security companies. State Minister for Internal Affairs David Muhoozi told Parliament in late March that police had taken over guard training and that 7,085 trainees were in the first police-run cohort. (ubc.go.ug) Police officials told Parliament the sector now includes 457 registered private security organisations, 82,697 guards and 28,187 fingerprinted guns, plus about 2,000 more hired from police. Those numbers show how heavily businesses and homes rely on private guards in Uganda. (softpower.ug) Industry groups and police have both described private guards as a major part of everyday policing capacity. The Uganda Private Security Association says it represents more than 426 companies and over 100,000 employees, while police officials have publicly credited guards with supporting crime prevention. (icoca.ch; ugandaradionetwork.net) Magnum says on its website that it is a registered guarding company, a registered gun dealer and a member of the Uganda Private Security Association. Police have not announced any charge against the company itself in this case. (magnumsecurity.co.ug; newvision.co.ug) Akena was being held at Mawanda Road Police Station as of April 17, and police said they were preparing to take him to court. The arrest turned a manhunt into the kind of insider-theft case Uganda’s security regulators say they are trying to prevent. (dailystar.co.ug; ubc.go.ug)