It is not clear how these suspects managed to escape but, by some accounts, as many as 17 of the suspects previously held in custody escaped in a two-part getaway.

As at the time this report was filed, there was no clear explanation as to how the incident happened, but according to eyewitnesses account, as many as 17 of the suspects previously held in custody reportedly escaped in a two-part getaway.

One group of the escapees went through the front door of the police station on Main Street and the other group ran through the back of the station along Gabula Road.

The suspects had been arrested in connection with a range of felonies namely home invasions, assault and for causing general mayhem in various places around Jinja city on Saturday.

The suspects’ subsequent escape on Sunday caught the attention of several eyewitnesses around the Jinja Central Police Station.

At around 8:30 am, one of the suspect was seen doing chores around the station then, after a few minutes, two other suspects came running out of the police station.

One of these suspects, who was in flight and running hard towards freedom, stumbled on the steps of the police station.

After falling down, he quickly got up and continued running along with several other suspects who had joined the mad rush to escape from the police station.

One eyewitness said the cell officer, who is now under arrest, was violently pushed aside as the suspects exited the police station.

Another eyewitness, a woman, said she saw two other suspects fleeing through Gabula Road. These two were part of the second group of suspects, they escaped through the back of the police station.

All the suspects, said to be 17 in number, are still at large.

Last year, Ugandan forces launched a manhunt to recapture more than 200 prisoners who escaped from jail after stealing weapons and fleeing into a remote wilderness area in the district of Moroto.

At least three people – a soldier and two of the 219 escapees – died in a gun battle and two inmates were rearrested.

The recent jailbreak was less dramatic, but could turn out to be every bit as deserving of the full attention of Uganda’s security forces.