By Sadique Bamwita
KAMPALA
Details have emerged on the burglary which took place in the wee hours of Monday morning on May 4,2026 at the Bank of Uganda Head Office premises on Plot 45, Kampala Road, after yet to be identified thugs broke into the bank’s premises and made away with seven laptops containing valuable information.
It’s reported that the thugs exploited security gaps within the central bank to access the bank’s premises.
Preliminary findings indicate that the thugs entered the bank premises through a gate near City Square and kept quiet inside the bank for almost three hours, and later moved comfortably within the bank premises before making away with seven laptops.
The investigating team suspects that the thugs who are currently at large could have used duplicated keys, which enabled them to bypass forced entry and avoid raising immediate alarm. However, this has raised suspicion that the deal could have been orchestrated by some insiders including some bank staff plus security personnel who were on duty on the fateful day.
A credible source close to the investigations intimated to us that during the raid, thugs first disabled internet services and also interfered with surveillance systems within the bank hence limiting real time monitoring.
A source also revealed that besides stealing laptops, the thugs also made away with key security infrastructure, including a CCTV server and an internet router valued around Shs50 million. However, their attempts to access the bank’s cash reserves were futile because time was not on their side.
Reports further revealed that some parts of the surveillance system were severely vandalized, although some footage was recovered. Based on the retrieved footage, it reportedly showed a group of five individuals forcing their way through secured sections of the bank premises.
Security Forces Visit The Scene
After the raid, joint security forces visited the scene at the bank, gathered evidence and thereafter brought a police sniffer dog to aide in the investigations.
The sniffer dog led the police to three downtown buildings which included Kalungi Plaza, Kirumira Towers and Mutaasa Kafeero, which the security personnel besieged and conducted several arrests of individuals accused of dealing in stolen gadgets.
The Kampala Metropolitan police spokesperson, afande Racheal Kawala confirmed the operation in the downtown Kampala areas saying they were based on intelligence leads.
“We have arrested more than 20 suspects and recovered items that will help in the ongoing investigations,” afande Kawala said.
Bank of Uganda Issues Statement Regarding the Incident
Management of Bank of Uganda on May 4,2026, issued a statement confirming theft of seven laptops from the bank premises and assured the general public that all its services and operations remain fully functional adding that the matter is under investigation.
“The matter is currently under investigation, and the bank is working closely with the relevant security agencies to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and to take appropriate action” the statement reads.
