Soroti student held with 22 rounds of live ammunition

[Da Dona]

Police in Uganda’s East Kyoga region are holding a student of Soroti Senior Secondary School after 22 rounds of live ammunition were recovered from his residence.

The student was arrested last week following a search that uncovered 20 rounds of AK-47 ammunition and two rounds of rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) ammunition.

According to Richard Musisi, the East Kyoga Deputy Regional Police Commander, the arrest followed a tip-off from a fellow student after an altercation at the school.

Police are investigating how the student obtained the ammunition and whether he has links to recent armed crimes in the region.​

“We want him to explain to us where he got the 20 rounds of AK-47 and two rounds of an RPG,” Musisi said. He added that investigators were examining possible links between the suspect and the shooting of a boda boda rider in Nakatunya a week earlier.​

Musisi made the remarks on Friday during the graduation of 100 youths who had completed training in renewable energy skills.

He said the East Kyoga region is experiencing a rise in youth involvement in criminal gangs, with many inmates in the area reportedly below the age of 30.
Police, he said, are monitoring several gangs, including the BB Youth Gang, Ikong and Press 1, as well as two separate groups operating within Soroti Senior Secondary School.
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“Youth are becoming a problem because they are trying to survive,” Musisi said, adding that some gang leaders in Soroti are willing to confront police officers.​

He welcomed the vocational training programme, saying practical skills could provide young people with alternative sources of income and help steer them away from crime.

The seven-week training programme was implemented by Makerere University Business School (MUBS) in partnership with Uganda Martyrs Polytechnic Soroti and funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Dr Sylvia Aarakit, the principal investigator for the Green Energy for Women and Youth project, said participants were trained in solar technology, electric mobility, and the production of energy-saving stoves and briquettes.

Eng. Jorenm Adutu, principal of Uganda Martyrs Polytechnic Soroti, said the institution plans to expand practical programmes that can help young people create employment opportunities for themselves and reduce involvement in crime.

Daily Monitor UG​