Mobile Money Agent Succumbs to Injuries After Panga Attack

A mobile money agent, only identified as Nusurah, has succumbed to injuries she sustained in an attack by unidentified thugs on Tuesday night.

Nusurah, a renowned mobile money operator in Lwanda Cell, Northern Division, Jinja City, was reportedly rounded up by the assailants shortly after closing her shop at around 9:00 p.m.

The attackers are said to have hit her on the head with a suspected blunt object, causing her to collapse instantly. They then fled with a bag containing an unspecified amount of money, phones, and other valuables. She was later found dumped by the roadside in Lwanda Trading Center by well-wishers returning home from late-night duties. Upon realizing that she was still breathing, they alerted the police and rushed her to Jinja Regional Referral Hospital’s emergency ward, where she was pronounced dead.

A health worker who spoke on condition of anonymity said the victim sustained severe head injuries, and efforts to save her life were unsuccessful. Mariam Namukobe, a resident of Lwanda Cell, said such attacks are recurring due to what she termed security laxity. Namukobe noted that the areas of Bugembe and Mafubira are known to harbor criminal elements that terrorize residents across Jinja City.

She further observed that, with the approaching political season, much of the security manpower is now focused on political activities, creating gaps that criminals are exploiting. Another resident, Eria Kasadha, attributed the rise in insecurity to the closure of several police posts along major highways such as Jinja–Kamuli and Jinja–Iganga, which has made it harder to track down criminals.

Kasadha noted that although the parish model was introduced and supported with increased manpower to detect and deter crime, some hotspot areas still require police posts for effective response. In response, the Kiira Regional Police Spokesperson, James Mubi, said detectives have been dispatched to expedite the arrest of the suspects. Mubi assured the public that police are committed to safeguarding lives and property, and that all criminals behind this spate of attacks will be apprehended in the shortest time possible.