KAMPALA – The Police in Mpigi district are holding 24 Burundian nationals for illegal entry into the country, in addition to two Ugandans, who face human trafficking related offences.
Police deputy Spokesperson, Claire Nabakka confirmed the incident, in a statement, narrating that the suspects, one of whom is a female, were last Thursday intercepted at a checkpoint mounted in Katonga, Kayabwe Town Council while travelling aboard an overloaded commuter taxi Reg. No. UBM 711K.
Nabakka said that the two Ugandans, Yasin Katamba- the taxi driver and his conductor, Haruna Sali were, initially arrested on traffic offences after overloading their taxi with 24passengers but additional charges of trafficking in persons were added onto their file.
The 24 foreigners are being held at Mpigi Central Police station as investigations continue.
Police claimed that the suspects had paid Ugx539, 000 to Iteka Service and Platinum Bus Services, which they boarded at different intervals from Ngoli in Burundi via Tanzania to Kampala.
Police narrated that as the bus approached the Mutukula border, the suspects reportedly disembarked, at least three kilometres away – linking with an unknown Burundian male who guided them through the porous border point into Uganda.
The unidentified Burundian national then connected the unsuspecting foreigners to Katamba, a resident of Mpugwe village in Masaka city – directing him to transport them to Kampala.
In a related development, police in Pader district on Friday arrested another Burundian national identified as Jackson Nyumuro, 18, for loitering around without a known place of aboard following a tip-off from Margaret Adokorach – the LC1 chairperson of Ayeting Village, Laguti Sub-County.
