35 suspects are currently in police custody for various criminal activities during the Nyege-Nyege festival held from November 9th to 12th, 2023.
The suspects who have undergone screening and are currently held at Jinja City’s Nalufenya police station, awaiting further legal proceedings.
According to police spokesman Fred Enanga, 45 suspects were initially apprehended, with the majority of arrests occurring on the 10th and 11th of November. However, 10 of these were involved in minor offenses and were cautioned before being released during the screening process.
Enanga says they reportted 20 cases of mobile phone theft, three cases of impersonating police officers, three cases involving possession of opium, 12 cases of forging entry tickets, and one case of theft from a motor vehicle.
Enanga revealed that hundreds of revellers attended the successful event despite terror alerts issued by the United Kingdom and United States of America missions in Kampala.
“The festival ended peacefully with hundreds of people who attended and there were no specific threats or intelligence linked to the event, the fans were vigilant but there were few incidents that were reported to police,” he said.
He adds that security deployed heavily with 300 Uganda People’s Defense Force (UPDF) soldiers and the police officers.
The overall incidents were minimal compared to the previous year, which recorded over 86 cases.