Police arrests 2 men over suspected human trafficking

They are: Muhindo Shafik, a 21-year-old supervisor at Kasanda Sugar Company and resident of Nyarukongu village; and Masereka Bernard, a 19-year-old boda boda rider from Munango village.

On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, at around 10 a.m., a boda boda rider picked Mumbere Ferguson up from Kasese taxi park and caused his disappearance. Upon arrest, he indicated that he was hired by Muhindo Shafic to recruit teenagers and young adults, aged 14–18, to work as casual labourers in a sugar factory in Kasanda district.

According to the police, on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, Muhindo Sharif was arrested from Kilembe in Kasese, where he had gone to recruit more children. He indicated that he had so far recruited 24 children under the instructions of Emma, a manager at Kasanda Sugar Factory.

Emma hires vehicles from Kasese to transport the children to the Kasanda sugar factory, where the driver is paid on arrival. Efforts are still in place to have Mumbere Ferguson, aged 15, of Katadoba cell, central division in Kasese district, recovered.

Uganda has experienced increasing levels of crime in the last few years. According to the 2022 Police Crime Report, the number of crimes committed in the country increased dramatically in 2022 when compared to the previous year.

The report indicated that the number of offences grew by more than 18% in one year compared to the previous one.

"A total of 231,653 cases were reported in 2022, up from 1960–81 in 2021. Thefts increased by 41% to 61508 from 43583 in 2021, while assaults increased by 9% from 29317 to 32041," the report revealed.

In early September, police in Kiira Division embarked on an investigation following the untimely death of Godfrey Mbona, a 40-year-old man who served as Kira Division's treasurer.

According to Luke Owoyesigyire, deputy spokesperson for the Kampala Metropolitan Police, the incident occurred on the morning of Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at the Kira Division headquarters in Bulindo, Kira Division, Wakiso district.