TAXI PASSENGERS ROBBED IN ARMED HIJACK ALONG MBALE–TIRINYI HIGHWAY IN BUKEDI NORTH
According to a statement released by the Bukedi North Regional Police Spokesperson, ASP Wilfred Kyempasa, the incident occurred in the early hours of 8th June 2026 between 2:00 am and 3:00 am when a taxi, registration number UBK 775H, departed Mbale City heading to Kampala.
Budaka, Uganda – Police in Bukedi North Region are investigating a violent aggravated robbery incident in which passengers traveling in a taxi were reportedly attacked, robbed, and abandoned after armed assailants hijacked their vehicle along the Mbale–Tirinyi route.
According to a statement released by the Bukedi North Regional Police Spokesperson, ASP Wilfred Kyempasa, the incident occurred in the early hours of 8th June 2026 between 2:00 am and 3:00 am when a taxi, registration number UBK 775H, departed Mbale City heading to Kampala.
Police reports indicate that the attack took place as the vehicle reached the Kamonkoli trading area along the highway. One of the passengers, seated in the co-driver’s seat and dressed in black clothing bearing a Ugandan flag, allegedly produced a firearm and ordered all occupants to surrender their belongings.
The assailant reportedly instructed passengers to lie face down as two other accomplices, also believed to be among the passengers, moved through the vehicle forcibly collecting mobile phones, cash, and other valuables.
The ordeal escalated as the attackers continued with the robbery up to Sekulo Parish in Kadimukoli Sub-county, Budaka District, where the driver was forced out of the steering wheel and made to join the rest of the passengers.
All victims were later ordered out of the taxi, made to lie on the roadside, after which the suspects drove off with the vehicle and all stolen property to an unknown destination.
ASP Kyempasa confirmed that a case of aggravated robbery has been officially registered under Kamonkoli CRB 058/2026, and investigations are actively underway to identify and apprehend the suspects.
A police team led by the Officer in Charge of Kamonkoli Station, along with detectives, visited and documented the scene shortly after the incident.
The police have condemned the attack, describing it as a serious criminal act targeting innocent commuters and disrupting public transport safety along one of the region’s key transport corridors.
Investigations remain ongoing as security agencies pursue leads to recover the stolen taxi and arrest the suspects involved in the armed robbery.
