LIST: Police Names Areas which have received threatening letters from anonymous Bijambiya Gangs across Uganda

Uganda Police Force (UPF) spokesperson Fred Enanga has listed some of the areas across the country which have received anonymous threatening leaflets and letters from machete-wielding criminals commonly knowns as ‘bijambiya.’

Bijambiya gangs have killed almost 30 people in the Greater Masaka Area.

The wave of murders in Masaka has subsided following the beefing up of security in the sub-region.

Police has now listed some of the communities that have been threatened by these criminals. These include:

Mwaalo – Masaka

Kyabakuza – Masaka

Kisoka – Masaka

Baloole – Kyotera

Katabila zone in Nsambya West

Nateete

Busega

Lungujja

Kasengejje

Matugga

Kabojja

Kisarabwire – Masindi Municipality

Seeta – Namanoja Village, Seeta, Mukono

Nyabubaare Cell, Kabira Sub County – Mitooma District

Buwalala- Kamuli, Namwendwa – Kamuli District

Bumbeire Village – Bushenyi

Enanga also warned Ugandans against touching the leaflets dropped to avoid sabotaging investigations.

Here is Enanga’s full statement:

As you are aware, during the month of August, we started registering new threats, in form of anonymous letters that were being sent to individuals and or dropped in selected communities. In Masaka, the threatening anonymous leaflets, were dropped at Mwaalo, Kyabakuza and Kisoka villages, while in Kyotera they were dropped at Baloole village. These threats of anonymous letters that were highly linked to the vicious killings, have since reduced in the Greater Masaka area.

We have, however, continued to receive multiple reports of the threatening anonymous letters, in Greater Kampala areas of Katabila zone in Nsambya West, Nateete, Busega, Lungujja, Kasengejje, Matugga, Kabojja, among others directed against the community.  It is quite disgusting that certain individuals choose to express their views, with such disturbing behaviour.

The letters have no address, the perpetrators use poor handwriting with threats of panga attacks, to a particular community or individual. For instance, on the 4/09/2021, a threatening anonymous letter, was found in Kisarabwire, Masindi Municipality, Masindi District, with threats against 6 people including the LC1 Chairperson, called Ojok, Kamanyire Aston, Mugisa Mugambe, Kyamanywa Ibrahim, Nyakana Fred and Byaruhanga Genuka.

Another alleged anonymous threat, was delivered by Kityo Joseph Male, a 56 year old, LC1 Chairperson of Seeta – Namanoja Village, Seeta Namuganga Subcounty in Mukono. It was a four paged anonymous letter in Luganda, threatening him and seven other residents, of an attack on the 6.09.2021, by the Kijambia force, 2021 -2027. The alleged threatening letter had been recovered by a resident, after it was abandoned at Namagoma Trading Centre.

In Mitooma District, 5 warning letters were dropped between the 4-6^th September in areas of Nyabubaare Cell, Kabila Sub County.  The threats were directed at 5 victims who include, Tukasinsgura Joan, aged 31, Muhangirwa Domian aged 39, Bangizi Abbi aged 50 and Bigaraho Justine aged 50, all of Nyabubare Cell. Again on the 8.09.2021, threatening letters were placed at the home of Nalubowa Florence, a 49 year old teacher, and a resident of Buwalala- Kamuli, Namwendwa ward, southern division, Kamuli District, with written threats “coming tonight” , “we need two heads , coming tonight with action”. Additional threats of anonymous letters were registered in Bumbeire, Village Bushenyi District.

In all these incidents, the anonymous letters were picked and taken to the nearest LC1 or police unit. And it is against this background that we would like to share very important message with the public.  That all anonymous letters sent or dropped in a given area must be treated with caution. The letters carry evidence on them and we are asking the public not to touch the letters or tamper with the scene. Thereafter, proceed to alert the nearest security unit and wait in a safe place, until the police or security teams arrive.

A well preserved scene will help provide clues in tracking down the perpetrators to these anonymous letters, in form of latent fingerprints, DNA, and the use of canine dogs. Like we successfully arrested, the 3 culprits behind the threatening anonymous letters in Katabi, it is an illusion for the suspects to think that they can remain hidden and send threats to whoever they want with impunity.

We still maintain that up to this stage, there is no credible information, indicating the validity of these threats so far. Our task teams are however, trying their very best, to track down all the culprits and bring them to book. We are meanwhile, grateful for the much level of cooperation and assistance obtained from the public. We have shared prudent tips on security with them, mobilized them, and increased our security presence, both overt and covert, around the affected communities.