Police in Kampala have arrested five people and recovered 12 motorcycles suspected to have been stolen. This was during an intelligence-led operation targeting a motorcycle theft network in Kampala.
The operation was conducted on Tuesday (August 24, 2026) evening in Ndeeba, in Katwe Division, following public concern over rising cases of motorcycle theft in the capital.
According to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Racheal Kawala, the investigation began after motorcycle registration number UMA 330NR was reported stolen at Nabweru Police Station.
Police traced the motorcycle to Busabala in Katwe Division, where two men were arrested.
They were identified as 28-year-old Ivan Mugisha and 25-year-old David Kabanda.
Kawala said the suspects are believed to have been involved in stealing the motorcycle and concealing it while waiting for its tracking device to be removed.
“Following investigations and intelligence gathering, our task team traced the motorcycle to the Busabala area in Katwe Division in Kampala district,” she said.
The suspects subsequently led investigators to Ndeeba, where police recovered 12 motorcycles believed to be stolen and arrested additional suspects.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the network targets relatively new motorcycles before moving them to Ndeeba, where tracking devices are allegedly removed.
Police say the motorcycles can then be sold for about 1.7 million Ugandan shillings ($470) each, although investigators are still working to establish the full scale of the operation.
Police also suspect that some stolen motorcycles are dismantled and sold as spare parts, while others are modified, made to appear older and returned to the market with altered identities.
The suspects are also being investigated over possible links to cases reported at police stations in Old Kampala, Nateete, Jinja Road and Nabweru.
Kawala said investigations were continuing as police worked to identify other people allegedly involved in stealing, concealing, dismantling and disposing of the motorcycles.
The crackdown comes amid persistent motorcycle theft in Uganda, where boda boda motorcycles are a crucial form of transport and a major source of income for many urban workers.
Police recorded 5,752 motorcycle theft cases in 2025, down from 6,311 the previous year, according to the Uganda Police Force annual crime report. A total of 6,071 motorcycles were reported stolen in 2025, of which 3,147 were recovered.
Kampala Metropolitan Police recorded the highest number of cases, with KMP North reporting 746, KMP South 666 and KMP East 486.
Previous police investigations have uncovered similar suspected networks in the Kampala metropolitan area, including operations in which stolen motorcycles were allegedly dismantled, rebranded or fitted with altered registration details before being sold.
Police have also previously reported cases in which attackers allegedly posed as passengers before directing boda boda riders to isolated locations, where the riders were robbed of their motorcycles.
The five suspects remain in police custody as investigations continue. Police say further arrests are expected as detectives trace the wider network and establish ownership of the recovered motorcycles.
