Three Suspected Gang Leaders Arrested in Jinja

A police operation in the Jinja city suburbs of Walukuba, Masese, Danida and Soweto had led to the arrest of three suspected gang leaders. The suspects are Ronald Wanda, Shafic Pericha and Brian Onzima.


The operations were prompted by leads provided by Paul Ogesa, the overall leader of Wakanda, a criminal gang, which specializes in snatching bags from women, house break-ins, drug abuse and syndicated aggravated robberies. The suspects surround villages armed with machetes and order their victims to surrender their valuables.




Ogesa, who was arrested early, last week volunteered information detailing the particulars of his accomplices and their areas of operation.  Peter Mwelu, the Masese I Village Defense Secretary, says that although they had information about the suspects’ involvement in illegal activities, it was hard to implicate them. 

“All these boys were born and bred in our community.  However, because of the fear of creating misunderstandings between us and their parents, we had resolved to discipline them internally, however, over time, they went overboard,” he said.

Deborah Kafuko, a resident of Soweto village says that the suspects normally sell stolen items cheaply to some members within the community, which frustrates prosecution efforts. 

“These and more notorious youths are usually arrested within our communities, but, since some elements amongst us purchase these stolen items cheaply, they rarely comply with availing the necessary information required in fostering prosecution procedures,” she said.

James Mubi, the Kiira Region Police spokesperson, says that they are liaising with village chairpersons to ensure that members of the public can volunteer information to expedite the prosecution of suspects. 

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