The Territorial Police in the Rwizi Region, Kazo, and Kiruhura districts have so far arrested 44 suspects in the intensified operations against cattle theft in the region.

This followed the many complaints from politicians, local leaders, and the community. Out of the 44 suspects, 23 were charged in court with cattle theft.

This was revealed by police spokesperson Fred Enanga.

According to the annual Crime and Traffic Safety Report 2021, theft was the leading offence committed in Uganda with 41,950 cases contributing 21.4 per cent of all crimes registered in 2021.

The same was also the leading offense in 2019 with 55,704 cases.  

To curb this vice, the police organized operations in the Kazo and Kiruhura districts where 44 suspects have been arrested, 23 of them charged in court with stealing cattle.

According to the police spokesperson Fred Enanga, police are optimistic that they have the right suspects noting that since the arrest of these, there have been no new cattle theft cases registered in the area.

Enanga says these use salon vehicles to accomplish their missions unnoticed. In that manner, several motor vehicles and motorcycles have been confiscated in the operations.

Similarly, 4 cattle theft suspects have been also arrested in the Sembabule district. The arrest followed an intelligence that tipped off the police who later intercepted the suspects at Ntusi town.

Statistics drawn from the districts of Mbarara, Isingiro, Rwampara, Ntungamo, Kiruhura, Kazo, and Ibanda reveal that the Rwizi region registered 397 cases of cattle theft as of July 2022.