Street teenagers paid Shs50,000 to kill, rob

Records at the Flying Squad Unit (FSU) of the police show several street teenagers have often been used in murders and aggravated robberies in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono.
The findings reveal that cases of armed robberies and murders, especially targeting special hire taxi drivers, mobile money operators, hardware, financial institutions and wholesale shops, have been executed by street teenagers who do surveillance for criminals and they are paid a fee of Shs50,000 each per mission.

A police detective, who shared the information, said 70 per cent of murders or robberies carried out in Kampala have involved street teenagers aged between 16 and 19 on promise of accommodation or payment worth Shs50,000.
“We have many street teenagers in cells and remand homes who have been used in murders and robberies. We have more than 12 former street children who were involved in murders of special hire taxi drivers and others are in detention or being investigated over aggravated robberies,” the detective said basing on raw statistics at FSU.

FSU records indicate that there are more than 30 former street children in police cells after they were involved in kidnaps, murders of special hire drivers, mobile money dealers and individuals suspected to be having huge sums of money around them.
Mr Herbert Muhangi, the FSU commandant, confirmed this information, saying that indeed street teenagers have become a new source of recruitment for gangs in Kampala and its surrounding districts.

He said the latest criminal incidents where street children have been used were on December 19 and January 13 at Chinese Sofa 2000 in Nalukolongo and Chinese Hair factory in Bugolobi.

The teenagers visited the factories every day disguising as clients but their main role was to monitor security, sales and possible penetration points.
“A boy went to Chinese Sofa 2000 with a design of a chair he wanted them to make for him. He would visit the factory but his main assignment was to monitor when the factory gets many clients and what time they usually take money for banking,” Mr Muhangi said.

The police say the boy used at Nalukolongo robbery was enticed by a group of South Sudanese, UPDF soldiers attached to Big Elly Kayanja’s home and civilians.
The teenager was of Somali origin and was spotted among the robbers by managers of the factory as he had been put at gun point. The FSU, acting on description made by witnesses, hunted down the 14-year old boy and arrested him in Kisenyi with money he had been given following a robbery of Shs300m.
“We got the boy and he took us to his seniors. To our surprise the boy was young but was already connected to a huge criminal gang. We were able to apprehend nine suspects, including Brig Kayanja’s bodyguards,” he said.

Mr Muhangi said teenage street children are used in deadly criminal activities with a promise of Shs50,000 for every successful mission.
This he said, citing a report on taxi drivers, a copy Sunday Monitor has seen where several special hire drivers were killed in areas of Kajjansi, Wakiso, Seeta, Mukono and Kampala.

In the 2014, 2015 and 2016 wave of murders targeting special hire car drivers, close to 30 of them were killed. They were routinely kidnapped, killed and dumped in bushes and rivers in districts of Mukono, Wakiso, Mpigi, and Kiboga.
These drivers were killed by criminals that disguised as passengers and lured them with huge amounts of money for short distances.
“In all these taxi drivers’ murders, street teenagers played a big role in promoting the crime. Over 90 per cent of the suspects we arrested in these murders were former street children who had been trained for criminal activities by one Alex Serwanga aka Muzei,” Mr Muhangi explained.

Victims
One victim of such criminality was Eriafasi Kafeero, who was robbed of an unspecified amount money and his car was taken by unknown thugs. Kafeero was a resident of Wakabago Village, Mukono District. He was killed on January 15, 2015 and the case was registered at Mukono Police Station vide CRB: 015/2015.

Kafeero’s murder came a week after FSU discovered a body of a special hire taxi driver wrapped in a polythene bag and dumped in Nakagera Village, Goma Division, Mukono Municipality. A report was made and the case was recorded at Seeta Police Station vide CRB: 348/2015.

Three months later, the police in Kajjansi recovered an unidentified body still wrapped in a polythene bag, dumped at Kajjansi on Entebbe Road in Wakiso District.
The case was entered at Kajjansi Police Station vide CRB: 164/2015. It was later discovered the body belonged to a taxi driver who was kidnapped at one of special hire stages in Kawempe, in Kampala.
“There were several murders targeting taxi drivers, especially those who drove nice looking cars and often operated around respected hotels expecting high class clients,” Mr Muhangi said.

Investigations
Mr Muhangi added that cracking a gang killing taxi drivers was not easy because the group was very coordinated and had street teenagers who acted as agents who could spy on different special hire stages.
Police made a breakthrough after one of the drivers spotted a teenager, who had previously hired their colleague, who was found killed and dumped in River Nakagere in Mukono District.

The suspect revealed his accomplices until the racket was cracked. The police learnt that the group was being commanded by Alex Serwanga, who had enticed several street children into crime. He trained them with murder skills like strangulation, hacking and suffocation of victims.
“This group comprised 15 members and Alex Serwanga was their commander. We arrested 13 suspects, one was put out of action (killed) during the operation and two of them fled to a neighbouring country, but we are still monitoring,” Mr Muhangi said.

The police said during interrogation, 12 members revealed they were former street children and could be paid Shs50,000 per driver killed and his vehicle taken.

All the 13 suspects, including Alex Serwanga, Brian Komakech, Micheal Masembe, Ronald Kalisa, Ibrahim Asiimwe, Dan Kato, Moses Poany, Richard Mulumba, John Mukwana, Julius Okongo, Barrack Yiga, Godfrey Sserunjogi and Tadeo Balimusi have appeared before the High Court in Mukono and Entebbe and are currently remanded at Kigo Prisons.
“The thugs could kill the driver and immediately smuggle their cars to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). They were successful because they involved street children who were even known to these drivers,” he added.

Police spokesperson Emilian Kayima last month told journalists that 136 cars had been stolen from Kampala between September and early December. Of these, only 25 vehicles had been recovered and handed over to respective owners.

Statistics released by International Police Uganda (Interpol Uganda) in July last year showed more than 500 cars had been stolen in six months.
Mr Muhangi said 98 per cent of car and money robberies from taxi stages and companies involve insiders, who update the accomplices through street teenagers, who sometimes visit the places as hawkers, scrap collectors or clients.

At taxi stages, the teenagers work with other taxi drivers, who know which person has bought a new car and a lot of money is made at a particular company or factory.
“We sometimes find ourselves in debate on how to handle these teenage criminals. We take those who are at least 17 years old and above to criminal court whereas those below are remanded at teenage homes. Criminals and insiders exchange messages through street teenagers because they know phones can easily be tracked,” Mr Muhangi said.

Last Friday this newspaper ran a story stating that more than 1,000 teenagers and youth aged between 14 and 24 years have been arrested in the last six weeks over drug abuse, burglary and theft.
Mr Muhangi said some street teenagers have graduated from petty crime to capital offences, warning companies and factories to be suspicious of teenager who often visit their premises.

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