Mbale woman killed resisting morning phone theft, fleeing attacker lynched by mob
Police officers retrieve the body of 18-year-old Jane Nambuya (inset) who was hacked to death by two teen attackers during a suspected phone robbery in Mbale City on June 12, 2025. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI
What you need to know:
- Mbale City phone robbery sparks deadly retaliation after girl’s murder.
Police in Mbale Northern City Division are investigating a double murder after an attempted robbery left an 18-year-old girl and one of her alleged attackers dead.
The attack occurred on Thursday morning in Busajabwankuba Cell, Namunsi Ward, when Jane Nambuya was ambushed by two youths as she returned from buying charcoal.
According to police, "the assailants attempted to snatch her smartphone, but when she resisted, one of them slashed her neck with a sharp panga." She died instantly.
The commotion drew the attention of nearby residents, who rushed to the scene. Bystanders managed to apprehend one of the suspects, a 17-year-old boy identified only as Muhammad from Doko Cell in the same division.
"Upon searching him, the mob reportedly found a blood-stained panga and the deceased’s smartphone hidden in his trousers,” said Ms Scovia Naula, a resident.
Enraged by the attack, residents beat the suspect to death before police arrived.
The case was first reported by Mr Abdu Karim Musungule, the area defence secretary of Busajabwankuba Cell.
Police officers and local residents at the scene where a suspect was lynched following the fatal attack on an 18-year-old woman in Mbale City on June 12, 2025. PHOTO/YAHUDU KITUNZI
Elgon region police spokesperson SP Rogers Taitika confirmed the incident and said investigations are underway.
“We regret the loss of life and are actively pursuing the second suspect who is still at large. While we understand the public's anger, we do not condone mob justice. The law must be allowed to take its course,” SP Taitika said.
The bodies of both Nambuya and the lynched suspect were taken to Mbale City Mortuary for postmortem examinations.
The Assistant Resident City Commissioner of Mbale City, Mr Hussein Kadima, also condemned the violence. He urged residents to remain vigilant as security forces investigate the matter to its conclusion, and warned against taking the law into their own hands.
Thursday’s incident adds to a string of gruesome killings in Mbale involving young girls.
In March this year, a 15-year-old girl, Sumaya Binti Edrisa, was defiled and strangled in a guesthouse in Gudoi Cell, Namakwekwe Ward.
On July 13, 2023, Salima Sanzitta, an 18-year-old student of Nakaloke Secondary School, was killed and her body dumped in a pond in Rock Ward, Mbale.
Police investigations into the latest attack are ongoing.
