Multiple Rooftop House Break-ins Frustrates Lungujja Residents.

Residents of Lungujja parish and its neighborhood in Lubaga Division of Kampala city  are getting frustrated over repeated house breaking by thugs who pass through rooftop to terrorize them.   

The residents said that most house breaks are being executed during rainy nights when people are sleeping soundly.Fredrick Lubega, the chairman Kyobe zone in Lungujja parish said the area is being terrorized by groups of juvenile criminal gangs that operate coming from the slums of Mengo Kisenyi, Makindye and Katwe, targeting houses where they suspect money.   

Speaking to Uganda Radio Network-URN, Lubega who attributes the new wave of criminals on the increasing levels of unemployment within the country, said last week he was also attacked by the same burglars when they broke through the house ceiling and gained access to the house drugged them with suspected chloroform and took everything.

“I don’t know how they climbed this fence, it was around 2:00 am, I think we heard dogs in the neighborhood barking, they climbed on the rooftop, and removed the roofing tiles and broke through the ceiling and entered the house," he said.  "They took several household items including woofers, DVD player, Television set,  mattresses, and phones." 

//Cue in: “ bajja neba,menya    

Cue out:  nebayita wagulu ”//  

  David Mpanga is another victim of the thugs terrorizing the area. In his statement at old Kampala police station said that that a burglar broke into his 88 year old mother's house via the rooftop and gained access.  

“Luckily enough by that time my mother’s driver was still awake, he tussled with the burglar, we believe others had remained outside but he overpowered him and disarmed him of a knife, but the burglar managed to escape," Mpanga said.   

 Elizabeth Nakiyemba who operates a mobile money business said although the government imposed the 9:00 pm night curfew as one of the measures of curbing acts of crimes, criminality in their area keeps on increasing with different waves of criminals merging.    

She says last month thugs broke her mobile money kiosk in the night and varnished with some items she had forgotten inside the kiosk including a two phones. 

//Cue in:  nebatwala ebintu byona   

Cue out: naffe obulamu bwaffe”//  

Vincent Balikuddembe another resident said the upsurge of house breaking within Rubaga is so worrying to them and some tenants have started rejecting rentals in some areas mostly within Lungujja zones.  

He said last year, thieves could even dig houses to gain access and now they have added another tactic of removing roof tiles once the doors are strongly tightened.  He blames police for the failure in investigations and intelligence to track down criminals.

//Cue in: “naye police yawano    

Cue out:  okunonyeleza”//   

But police said the situation is being handled and night operations have seen many criminal gangs being dismantled and their hideouts being busted. "We’re not in comfort zones and operations in some hot spot areas have been intensified to contain the criminal elements," said Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police spokesperson.

 

According to the annual crime report 2020 that was released early this week by police, Old Kampala Police Division that takes Rubaga Division topped other police Divisions that make up Kampala Metropolitan North with 3,262 criminal cases registered. However of these, burglary and houses breaking were leading.