Man caught with stolen gun linked to attack on hotel guard

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Security forces in Kisoro District have arrested a man found in possession of a rifle believed to have been stolen from a private security guard earlier this month at Pearl Hotel in Kabale Municipality.

According to Kigezi Region Police spokesperson, Elly Maate, the suspect, identified as Emmanuel Hakizimana, alias Zulunguriye Black, was intercepted by a joint security patrol comprising the Uganda Police Force, Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), and the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) as he moved through Kashaija village, Rubuguri Town Council, on the night of April 20, 2025.

“At around 10:20pm, patrollers on a motorised operation stopped Hakizimana’s vehicle. He attempted to flee but was pursued and arrested. On searching him, the team recovered a SAR rifle, serial number 564210028-15120,” Maate said.

Investigations have since confirmed that the recovered firearm was the same weapon stolen from Osbert Byonanebye, a security guard attached to Ruhama Veterans Security Company. Byonanebye had been on duty at Pearl Hotel in Kigongi cell, Central Division of Kabale Municipality, when the rifle was stolen on April 10, 2025.

The weapon had initially contained two rounds of ammunition; however, only one round was recovered from the suspect.

Maate noted that Hakizimana is a habitual offender with a lengthy criminal record across Kigezi and western Uganda. In 2021, he was released from Ndorwa Prison, having been convicted of robbery.

A year later, in 2022, he allegedly broke into Mutanda Lake Hotel and stole valuables from foreign tourists, including cameras, phones, and money. However, the case was dismissed in court due to a lack of witness testimony, as the tourists had already left the country.

“In March 2024, he stole clothes belonging to Police Detective Constable Rodney Tumuramye from Kisoro Police Barracks. He was found wearing the stolen clothes, arrested, charged and fined sh250,000, which he paid before being released,” Maate said.

In a separate incident in December 2024, Hakizimana was found by a joint UPDF-UWA patrol cooking food inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. He fled the scene, leaving behind personal documents, including national IDs and photographs, which were later handed over to the UPDF 35th Battalion at Nyakabande.

Maate stated that the suspect will be transferred to the UPDF 2nd Division headquarters in Mbarara for further handling and prosecution under military jurisdiction, given the nature and origin of the weapon involved.

“We commend the vigilance of the joint patrol teams. The recovery of the firearm is a significant breakthrough, and we urge the public to continue working with security agencies to ensure community safety,” Maate added.