Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Four machete-wielding thugs stormed private homes in Wakiso District Saturday morning but back off when an electric alarm went off.
CCTV cameras caught the hooded thugs armed with machetes breaking into the premises in Kibwa-Nabweru in Nansana Municipality in Wakiso District .
Police investigations indicate that at 3am on Saturday a group of four men armed with pangas and breaking implements jumped over the perimeter fence and accessed the premises of Paul Kayemba in Kibwa, Nansana Municipality.
The premises have 11 residential rooms and have CCTV installed in the compound and at the gate.
This happened last night in kibwa nabweru Nansana municipality up to now the police has not come. The panga boys are real. Its not only in masaka @DailyMonitor @PoliceUg @nilepostnews @NRMOnline @observerug @AKasingye @NUP_Ug @MathiasMpuuga @HustleKing01 pic.twitter.com/QO7mZPc6Q8
— esteri (@esteri4) September 4, 2021
As soon as they were in the compound, an alarm system alerted the residents who also made a verbal alarm prompting the thugs to take off.
It was further been established that the small gate which also gives access to the premises had not been locked and the thugs used the small gate to run away.
Felix Lukwago, one of the occupants of the house told Uganda Radio Network that he was awake when the thugs started scaling their perimeter wall.
“Once out CCTV cameras detect any movements they trigger the alarms. I heard the camera alarm, checked through the window, and saw them positioning themselves. We immediately started shouting to notify our neighbours prompting the thugs to take off,” Lukwago said.
He explains that despite an earlier warning by the thugs through anonymous letters to harm the residents, it took officers from Nabweru Police station up to midday to arrive at the scene.
“We called them in the night, but they did not respond. On Thursday, we heard that some people have received threatening letters in Nansana. However, what is shocking is that the Police have just reported here during midday, if they had managed to break into the house, everyone would be dead,” Lukwago said.
This is the first time that machete-wielding thugs have been caught on camera in the outskirts of Kampala in recent weeks. Tension is high in other areas of Kampala including Masanafu in Rubaga Division and Nabingo following anonymous letters threatening to harm residents.
Now, Lukwago says that they are worried and want police to tighten security in their area.
The Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigire, says they received the footage that will help them to track the attackers. He has urged residents to cooperate with the area police, saying police will contain the situation.
“It is also not true that the police were informed of the incident as social media reports the victims themselves admit they didn’t inform the police.
They only tried to call the area defense secretary, but their repeated call went unanswered,” he said.
Machete attackers were first reported in the Greater Masaka region where about 29 people have been killed in the last two months.