Inside Busia slum ruled by criminals

Gidudu, who was last month admitted to Busia Health Centre IV with severe body injuries, said he had just crossed from Kenya into Busia Town before the unfortunate incident happened. 

He was attacked at around 7pm at the Mbale Taxi Stage on Tororo road.

“As soon as I was dropped off at the stage, two men crept up on me, slapped me and when I resisted, a stick and machete-wielding gang beat me, leaving me half dead,” Mr Gidudu told this publication on Monday.

He added that his assailants made off with all the money he had been paid for the odd jobs he was doing in Eldoret, Kenya, his bag, and other belongings.

Gidudu suspects that the criminals who attacked him are part of the Katanga gang that has been causing terror in Busia town in recent months.

Mr Yahaya Mugoya, the chairperson of Arubaine ‘A’ LC1, said he is aware of the presence of the criminal gang and estimated their number to be “more than 100”. 

He, however, admitted that they (LCs) cannot counter them because they fear for their lives.

Houses in Katanga have inscriptions on their walls, warning police and other security agencies against setting foot in the area. Some of the writings read “You are not allowed here police”, and “Katanga Army Forever, we are smoking weed, police X”, among others.

According to Mr Mugoya, the group that is reportedly armed with guns is suspected  to have recently masterminded the stealing of a rifle from a security guard attached to Dott Services.

Dott Services is working on roads in Busia Town under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) project.

Mr Mugoya said whereas the group operates in Katanga, its gang members are reported to be from Mbale, Kidogo, Solo, Kisenyi, Sofia, Marachi, Mawero East ‘B’, Mugungu and Officers’ Mess, among other areas.

Mr Abubaker Kulum, who sells sweets next to Busia Taxi Park, still bears scars he sustained after being attacked by thugs armed with hammers and machetes. 

“My attackers hit me on the head with a hammer and left, thinking I was dead,” he said.

Mr Simon Wandera, the defense secretary of Mawero East ‘B’ Village in Eastern Division, said the infamous Katanga criminal gang attacked and robbed him of his money and mobile phones on Alupe road last month.

“It was a few minutes to 11pm when I was surrounded by young men wielding sharp machetes on Alupe road. They threatened to cut me if I did not surrender all my possessions,” Mr Wandera added.

He recounted that the group left him unharmed but robbed him of KShs2,000 (about Shs58,000) and his mobile phones.

According to the residents, the criminals, who are allegedly led by a one Wabwire also known as “Inspector”, have martial arts skills.

Residents said Wabwire and another criminal only identified as “Major” are the masterminds of the heinous crimes in Katanga and the surrounding areas.

“Sadik and his senior men in the gang are heavily guarded by between 10 and 20 young men,” a resident, who declined to be named for fear of being targeted by the gang, said.

“The guards ensure that their bosses are protected and will rough up whoever challenges Sadik or reports them to police. They have so far burnt two people to death inside their houses as they slept after suspecting them of reporting their criminal acts to police,” he added.

According to the residents, out of fear of reprisals, they are unable to file formal complaints and statements with the police because the justice system is slow.

Another resident, an elderly woman who resides in Katanga, said the criminals have on several occasions promised to “drill a nail in her head” if she reports their activities to the authorities. 

“Whenever they attack people and we question them, they threaten to kill us,” she said.

The residents of Katanga and the surrounding areas now appear to have been held hostage by the criminals.

A landlord in Katanga, who declined to be named for fear of his life, also said he has lost more than 10 tenants this year due to the lawlessness caused by the gang.

Ms Fazira Nambuya, who operates a shop next to Katanga, said her husband and their two daughters, who include a university student, were attacked last month and beaten by the thugs in broad daylight.

Ms Nambuya said whereas the family reported the matter to the police, no efforts were made to arrest the suspects.

Security response
Mr Michael Kibwika, the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) of Busia, who heads security in the district, said Katanga has degenerated into a base for criminal gangs. 

He added that they have embarked on operations to crackdown on them.

“Police have stepped up operations, arrested more than 70 suspected criminals and taken them for custody at Busia Police Station. It is important that residents stop fearing the gang and provide relevant information to police,” he said.

Mr Hassan Mudukanyi, a taxi driver at the Busia Park, said the Katanga group started small, but its membership has since  increased.

“They openly abuse drugs and carry out crimes in the full glare of the public,’’ he said.

Mr Mudukanyi, like many residents in Busia Town, said police have not done enough to rout out the criminals.

Three days before this publication visited Katanga last week, the gang allegedly attacked a mobile phone vendor of Somali origin in broad daylight and reportedly beat him and took all his phones. 

The victim is now admitted to hospital in Busia-Kenya with life-threatening injuries.