Student arrested over daylight killing of Mbale woman during failed phone robbery
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:
- Second suspect arrested in brutal slaying of Mbale woman during robbery.
Police in Mbale City have arrested a 16-year-old secondary school student in connection with the brutal killing of 18-year-old Jane Nambuya, who was hacked to death while resisting an attempted phone theft in broad daylight last week.
Elgon Regional police spokesperson Rogers Taitika confirmed the arrest of a male student from Manafwa District, who was detained while trying to flee to neighbouring Kenya following the deadly attack on June 12 in Busajabwankuba Cell, Namunsi Ward.
“The suspect was arrested after intensive investigations and is currently in police custody as inquiries continue,” Mr. Taitika said in a statement.
The arrested student is believed to have been an accomplice of a 17-year-old who was lynched by an angry mob shortly after the attack.
“The two suspects reportedly hacked Nambuya to death using a sharp panga at around 11am,” said Mr. Taitika.
Police say Nambuya was attacked while returning home after buying charcoal. The assailants demanded her smartphone, and when she resisted, she was fatally hacked on the neck before they fled with the device.
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
Eyewitnesses raised the alarm and caught one suspect at the scene with a blood-stained panga and the victim’s phone. The suspect was beaten to death by the mob before police could intervene.
“The motive behind the killing is still under investigation, but we have made significant progress in the case,” Mr. Taitika said.
The police have forwarded a case file to the Resident State Attorney for sanctioning. The arrested suspect is expected to be arraigned in court soon.
This latest attack has heightened fears in Mbale City about the safety of young people, especially girls, following a series of violent crimes.
In March, a 15-year-old girl was defiled and strangled in a guesthouse in Mbale. In 2023, an 18-year-old student was killed and dumped in a pond.
