14 arrested as police raid garage siphoning fuel from government vehicles

Police have arrested 14 people following a raid on a garage in Kibuli, Kampala, where fuel was allegedly being siphoned from government vehicles and sold to private buyers.

The operation followed an undercover investigation by Bukedde TV, which exposed a suspected fuel theft racket involving vehicles belonging to the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) and other government agencies.

For several weeks, journalists secretly filmed dozens of government vehicles entering the garage, where operators allegedly used hoses to drain fuel from their tanks.

The investigation revealed that the fuel was being sold to customers at Shs 6,000 per litre. Some of it was reportedly transferred into a small tanker and transported to other parts of Kampala for resale.

Acting on the revelations, police officers from Kabalagala Police Station raided the premises on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, and arrested 14 suspects.

Addressing journalists at the scene, Kampala Metropolitan Police deputy spokesperson Luke Owoyesigire said the operation followed information and footage showing government vehicles entering the garage to have fuel removed.

He condemned the suspected theft, warning that it could have caused substantial financial losses to the government.

"This is wrong and we think is causing great financial loss to the government. We still don't know how long this act has been ongoing," he said.

Among those arrested was a person who had reportedly just driven into the garage to sell fuel.

Police said they had yet to establish which government agency the individual worked for.

Investigators also recovered a fuel tanker, registration number UA 938BT, suspected to have been used to transport fuel siphoned from government vehicles.

Owoyesigire said officers found several containers and quantities of fuel at the premises.

"Here we found one 20 litre jerry can of petrol and about 80 litres of diesel that had just been drawn plus many jerry cans that they were using to draw the fuel," he said.

Police are investigating how the suspected operation was organised, how long it had been running and whether more government employees were involved.

Authorities have not established the total quantity of fuel allegedly stolen or the financial losses incurred.

Owoyesigire raised concerns about the danger posed by storing large quantities of fuel in a residential neighbourhood.

He said the operators had no firefighting equipment despite handling highly flammable substances.

"It is also dangerous to keep fuel in a residential area like this. They did not even have a fire extinguisher. Danger could break out any time," he said.

"Although people are looking for money, we should not endanger lives while doing so."