Why Police Tactics Are Falling Short on Kidnapping For Ransom Cases

Security experts are warning that inadequate investment in kidnapping investigation skills has left law enforcement agencies exposed, fueling public anxiety as kidnapping cases continue to rise in Uganda. Kampala Metropolitan Police have recorded three high-profile kidnappings over the past two months, resulting in two deaths and one successful rescue. Among the victims was Babirye Lydia Sengendo, who was abducted on June 3 before her body was later recovered in Kakiri.

Her abduction and killing followed the gruesome kidnapping and murder of 25-year-old footballer Tonny Ssewakyiryanga, a resident of Kikubampanga Cell in Kakiri Town Council, Wakiso District, who was abducted on May 3, 2025. In another case, on May 29, 2026, police launched a manhunt and rescued Mollete Komugisha, the wife of St Abel School Director Taremwa, after she was abducted from her home in Bujoweli Zone, Njeru Municipality.

The latest victim in what appears to be the same pattern of kidnapping, ransom demands, and murder is seven-year-old Osber Turinayo, who was abducted on June 12 from Kisoroma Village, Kitongore Parish, Kisojo Sub-county in Kyenjojo District while returning home with other children after watching a movie at a nearby bar. Police preliminary findings indicate that Turinayo had gone with his brothers to watch a movie but never returned home.

Efforts by his family and residents to trace him were unsuccessful.

Police Spokesman, Kituuma Rusoke, said that three days later, on June 15, the family received a phone call from an unknown person demanding Shs1.5 million in ransom, threatening to kill the child if the money was not paid. Rusoke said the family had already reported the disappearance to police, prompting investigations.

“Police tracked and arrested Isaiah Manyindo, 26, and Erias Twimukye, 17, who, during interrogation, confessed to kidnapping and killing the seven-year-old. They later led investigators to the crime scene, where the child’s body was recovered, concealed beneath tree leaves,” Rusoke said. The kidnapping and murder of Turinayo adds to a growing list of similar incidents across the country, many of which go unreported. Private investigator and security expert Fred Egesa warns that ransom kidnappings are only beginning and show no signs of slowing down. He says the crime first gained prominence in Kenya about a decade ago before spreading to Uganda and other neighbouring countries.

“Kidnappings are signs of economic distress,” Egesa said, adding that perpetrators often target the weak and vulnerable because they believe the victims or their families have money. He said kidnappers rarely act randomly, instead gathering intelligence on potential victims and, in some cases, relying on insiders within financial institutions to identify people with substantial bank balances.

According to Egesa, after studying the rise in kidnappings in Kenya, he wrote to the Uganda Police Force urging it to strengthen intelligence capabilities and train specialized kidnap investigation teams, but his recommendations were ignored. “About eight years ago, I advised police and other agencies to adopt crime forecasting as part of intelligence gathering, based on what was happening in Kenya, so they could identify emerging crime trends before they overwhelmed our security agencies. Right now, our police are relying on general investigative knowledge instead of developing specialists in kidnap investigations,” Egesa said.

Another security expert, Muhammad Kabugo, agrees that economic hardship is a major driver of kidnappings. He warns that unless the government strengthens its response, financially motivated abductions are likely to increase. While police have consistently advised families not to negotiate directly with kidnappers and instead report such incidents immediately, Kabugo argues that families fearing for the lives of their loved ones often cannot afford to wait.

He also says public confidence in police rescue efforts remains low, as many victims are recovered only after they have been killed. Both experts are urging the government to invest in intelligence capabilities and establish specialized kidnapping investigation and rescue units, rather than relying on conventional criminal investigation methods that are increasingly ineffective against evolving crime trends.

Police recorded 206 kidnapping cases nationwide in 2025, down 15 percent from 245 cases in the previous year. However, early 2026 data indicate a worrying shift, with ransom-related kidnappings increasing. Investigators say that when families are unable to pay, or police become involved, despite kidnappers often warning against it, victims are sometimes killed more quickly-URN.

Read Next Article