Bank of Uganda Security Personnel on Trial

The trial of 12 people, including eight security personnel accused of failing to prevent the theft of property from the Bank of Uganda, has started at the Buganda Road Chief Magistrates Court in Kampala. The trial is being presided over by Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa.

Eight of the accused are charged with neglecting to prevent a felony, contrary to Section 362 of the Penal Code Act, while the other four face charges of office breaking and theft. The security personnel are Sergeant Joseph Amone, Police Constables Wilson Ouma, Thomas Omach, Shafic Mungusho, and Brian Oryono, all attached to the Directorate of Counter Terrorism Tactical Unit and residents of Naguru Police Barracks in Nakawa Division.

The other security personnel are Alex Onduri and Solomon Orache, both security guards employed by Ultimate Security Limited, and Morish Ocen, a security guard attached to Saracen Uganda Limited. They are jointly charged with Boaz Michael Kule, a casual worker; Ramathan Kabuya alias Rama, a bus conductor; Isaac Rubangakene alias Izoo, a mobile phone accessories dealer; and Jorem Jude Oedo, a bus computer technician.

The prosecution, led by State Attorney Joan Keko, alleges that the eight security personnel were part of the team responsible for securing the Bank of Uganda premises at Plot 45 in Kampala Central Division. The State alleges that the security personnel knew, or ought to have known, that a break-in was taking place on May 4, 2026, but failed to take reasonable measures to prevent the theft.

The other four accused are alleged to have broken into offices 3A-02, 3A-03, 3A-04, 3A-05 and 3A-06 with intent to commit theft and subsequently stole six laptop computers belonging to the central bank. The laptops, comprising Lenovo ThinkBook 16 G7IML and HP EliteBook devices, are valued at approximately Shs35.4 million, according to the prosecution.

The prosecution called its first witness, Assistant Inspector of Police George Wamala, a 45-year-old officer attached to the Counter Terrorism Tactical Department. Wamala told the court that he has served in the Uganda Police Force for 23 years and has been deployed at the Bank of Uganda since December 2024, where his duties include providing security and preventing terrorism-related activities.

He explained that the tactical security team mans the Bank premises during the day, from 7 am to 6 pm, while another team takes over the night shift. Wamala testified that on May 4, he reported for duty at about 7 am and, around 7:30 am, received information from a colleague, Henry Ziramba, that a break-in had occurred at Plot 45, Level Three. He immediately went to the scene, where he found the area cordoned off and met the Bank of Uganda Director of Security, Innocent Muhwezi, and Simon Musoke.

After being allowed into the affected area, Wamala said he observed brownish, muddy footprints on the floor, which appeared to have been left by a person. He also saw scattered items, including laptop bags, gloves and a laptop, along the corridor. Wamala said Muhwezi later instructed him to report the incident at Kampala Central Police Station, where he reported a case of office break-in and theft.

He was issued with a Scene of Crime documentation form and returned to the Bank with Kampala Central Police Station’s Officer in Charge of the Criminal Investigations Department, Silvia Namuwonge, and her team to conduct further investigations. However, during cross-examination by defence lawyer Michael Busingye, Wamala admitted that he did not know whether any property had been stolen when he first arrived at the scene.

He also said he did not know whether the accused had access to fingerprints, whether they guarded inside the building, whether the windows had been closed, or who had accessed the affected area before the break-in was discovered. Wamala further told the court that he did not know the exact time the office was broken into.

The second prosecution witness was Tracy Mulungi Ampurirwe, a 26-year-old Banking Two Officer at the Bank of Uganda. Mulungi, who has worked at the central bank since December 2024, said her duties include licensing banks, vetting shareholders, board members and executive management, as well as processing other regulatory approvals. She told the court that her office is located on Level Three of Plot 45, where she works with Nancy Busingye and Aidah Nakakande.

Mulungi testified that the Bank had issued her with a grey Lenovo ThinkBook laptop and charger for official work. She said that on May 4, 2026, she arrived at Plot 45 at about 6:45 am and first went to the ground floor to leave her keys. According to Mulungi, she had last been in her office on April 30, when she left at about 5 pm.

She said she had been working from Room A03, which belongs to her manager, Kwesiga Ainebyona, opposite her primary office, Room A02. Mulungi told the court that she had locked the office with a key before leaving and left her laptop, some documents, and a desktop computer on the desk. When she returned on May 4, she noticed muddy footprints at the premises, suggesting that the area had been accessed during her absence.

The six laptops allegedly stolen during the incident were tendered in court as exhibits through Mulungi. The prosecution has not yet disclosed the total value of all property allegedly stolen during the break-in. State Attorney Keko asked the court to issue witness summons requiring additional witnesses to appear at the next hearing. Chief Magistrate Kidasa consequently issued the summons and adjourned the case to September 1, 2026, for further hearing.

Four of the accused who have been on remand since May 2026 were returned to Luzira Prison, while the others remain out on bail. The case comes against the backdrop of another major controversy involving the central bank. In September 2024, about US$17 million, equivalent to approximately Shs60 billion, was reportedly lost from the Bank of Uganda and later traced to foreign accounts in the United Kingdom and Japan.

At least nine officials from the Bank of Uganda, the Ministry of Finance and the Accountant General’s Office were subsequently arrested and charged over allegations of fraudulent payments to a purported contractor and directing the central bank to release the funds. The suspects were later committed to the High Court Anti-Corruption Division for trial after completion of investigations. Their trial has not yet commenced.