CCTV footage pins 35 suspects in Museveni nomination day thefts

At least 35 suspects are set to face court after being captured on closed-circuit television (CCTV) and by covert security operatives, allegedly stealing from jubilant crowds during President Yoweri Museveni’s nomination as the National Resistance Movement (NRM) presidential candidate.

The Tuesday event drew thousands of supporters, both young and old, to Kololo ceremonial grounds to celebrate Museveni’s 2016 nomination. But as music blared and crowds cheered, a shadowy group of thieves, many wearing NRM-branded yellow T-shirts with Museveni’s image, moved through the gathering, snatching wallets, phones, watches, and other valuables.

Unbeknownst to the pickpockets, security had seeded the crowd with plain-clothes operatives. Some suspects were arrested in the act, while others were later identified through CCTV footage.

By day’s end, 44 people had been detained at Jinja Road police station. After reviewing surveillance footage, investigators released nine for lack of evidence, leaving 35 suspects to face charges ranging from theft, simple robbery, assault, and public nuisance.

Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) spokesperson Patrick Onyango warned that with campaign rallies scheduled to begin next week, security agencies will remain on high alert.

“We know campaigns are kicking off next week, and they often attract crowds. We also know that criminals often take advantage of such rallies to commit their crimes, such as theft, phone snatching and others. We want to warn them that we are also prepared to apprehend them,” said Onyango.

The two-day presidential nomination exercise cleared eight candidates to contest the 2026–2031 term. President Museveni was nominated first, followed by Robert Kasibante of the National Peasants Party (NPP) and Elton Joseph Mabirizi of the Conservative Party.

On the second day, nominations included Nathan Nandala Mafabi (Forum for Democratic Change), Mugisha Muntu Oyera (Alliance for National Transformation), Robert Kyagulanyi a.k.a. Bobi Wine (National Unity Platform), Mubarak Munyagwa (Common Man’s Party), and Kabanga Bulira (Revolutionary People’s Party).