KAMPALA- A group of Boda group in Kampala have chased two suspected pang-wielding thugs who had snatched a handbag of a woman who was attacked along Nakasero road in the Kampala City-Centre.
The victim has been identified as 36-year old Hope Afoyotwoth Hope, a teacher and resident of Kamwokya, in the Kampala central division, who was on her way, while going home at 7:00pm on Wednesday.
The victim was cut off by two men riding on a motorcycle registration number UGA 868Z, armed with a panga and robbed her handbag containing two mobile phones, Shs 5,000, body spray and other personal items all valued at Shs 1, 200,000.
But in the process, she raised an alarm which attracted boda boda riders who gave chase to thugs all the way from Nakasero Road, Lumumba Avenue up to City Square where they were arrested.
Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson Patrick Onyango has commended the boda-boda riders for their restraint and responsible actions. Instead of taking the law into their own hands, they wisely handed over the suspects to the police at Central Police Station Kampala, allowing for proper justice to be served.
They usually misbehave but this time they did well by handing over these suspects to the police. Upon searching them, they were got with sharp panga and all the victim’s properties. They have been charged with aggravated robbery pending court. Onyango said.
Cue in………….Onyango on suspects
Frank Mawejje, the chairperson of Kawempe Boda-boda riders, has called on Kampala Capital City Authority to quicken the process of gazetting boda-boda stages, a way of streamlining their industry.
“With KCCA’s gazetting of stages, we expect a crackdown on impostors masquerading as boda-boda riders,” Mawejje emphasized.”Only certified and trained riders will gain access to allocated stages, thereby curbing the activities of criminals exploiting motorcycles for robbery and other illicit acts. He added”.
The apprehension of the two suspects occurs amidst a surge in criminal activity in Kampala, where the city has become a hub for organized crime gangs, with some perpetrators using motorcycles to target unsuspecting victims on public roads