Police’s Maj Gen Damulira on the spot over ghetto gangs linked to Kampala violence

Maj Gen Christopher Damulira, the police director of crime intelligence is under scrutiny following the circulation of videos showing gangs donning NRM T-shirts assaulting people along streets and roads in Kampala.

Since 2020, Damulira has been mobilizing ghetto youth with the stated aim of reforming them. He has paraded these groups before President Yoweri Museveni, showcasing them as successful rehabilitation stories.

In response, the president has reportedly extended nearly Shs 3 billion to the groups through Saccos, under Damulira’s coordination. At public events, Damulira has repeatedly accused the opposition of manipulating ghetto youth for political gain without improving their lives.

“He is helping these boys, not just giving them money. They are now doing things like welding, shoe-making, art, and craft. But the opposition just used them for rallies and demos,” a police officer close to Damulira said earlier this year.

Over 50 such groups have reportedly been created across Kampala suburbs, including Kamwokya, Kibuli, Katwe, Ndeeba, Naguru, and Kasokoso in Wakiso district. However, Damulira’s initiative has long attracted criticism from politicians and even some within the security establishment, who say it has bred criminal gangs who believe they are protected by the state.

“We’ve been telling him he’s building another Boda Boda 2010-type gang like the one formed under Gen Kale Kayihura,” a senior officer said.

“Let him now come out and defend this madness.”  Boda Boda 2010 was a gang formed in 2010 that eventually became a symbol of lawlessness in Kampala, with members accused of murder, robbery, and extortion until the group was dismantled in 2018.

Another security officer accused Damulira of using the initiative as a “money-minting project” off the President’s goodwill.

“The day I saw a colleague carrying a sack of money to the ghettos in Kasokoso on Damulira’s orders, I knew this was a business,” the officer said.

After Saturday’s violent scenes, in which the gang reportedly targeted road users heading to Kololo for President Museveni’s nomination, security officials say their long-standing concerns have been vindicated.

“These gangs have made parts of Kampala no-go zones. We warned him. Let him now clean up the mess,” said a senior officer. Police spokesperson ACP Kituuma Rusoke confirmed arrests.

“We have arrested some of the suspects and are pursuing others. We cannot allow gangs to victimise residents,” said Rusoke.

National Resistance Movement (NRM) spokesperson Emmanuel Dombo also distanced the party from the gangs.

“It is not our operation to have gangs. We don’t work with such groups. We have asked the IGP to probe and hold accountable whoever mobilised them,” he said.

Damulira appeared on a Kampala radio station on Sunday to defend his initiative, saying the youth groups under his watch are not involved in crime.  However, in a brief interview with URN, he said: “I have not received such a report from my field officers or group leaders.”

He did not confirm whether he had assigned his Directorate of Crime Intelligence team to investigate the perpetrators. One of the groups reportedly under Damulira’s coordination is “Al-Qaeda,” based in Kibuli.

In 2023, this group was blamed for the killing of an 18-year-old student, prompting an army raid on their hideout. The group involved in Saturday’s attacks reportedly emerged from Lubaga under the leadership of Ivan Kamuntu, alias Majembere, who has since pledged to help police track down those seen in the viral videos.

Among the victims was retired AIGP Grace Akullo, former CID and Interpol director. She was robbed of her phone while at an ATM along Nile Avenue.  Her son, who was waiting inside their vehicle, was also attacked and injured by the gang before his phone was stolen.

He was later admitted to Mulago hospital. Damulira joined the Uganda Police Force in 2019 as a Colonel and was elevated to Brigadier in 2021. He was promoted to Major General last week by the Chief of Defence Forces, Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

Security sources also claim that the same gangs were used to foment violence during the Kawempe North by-election in March, working alongside SFC, JATT, and police.

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