Uganda: Senior two student arrested for kidnapping cousin's children in Mukono

Police in Mukono District are holding a Senior Two student of Panorama College for allegedly kidnapping two of his cousin’s children and demanding a ransom from their parents.

According to Ms Marvis Iriko, the children’s mother, her cousin picked up the children, aged 2 and 4, from their home in Kigunga Cell, Mukono Municipality, on Friday, September 26, at around 6 pm.

She had taken a nap, leaving the children playing in the compound with other neighborhood kids. When she woke up to bathe them, she discovered they were missing.

“I was tired and decided to take a nap while the children were playing in the compound with mates from the neighbourhood, only to find them missing when I woke up to bathe them,” she said in an interview on September 29.

The desperate parents immediately reported a case of missing children to Seeta Police Station, which referred them to Mukono. A search for the children was launched.

Ms Iriko said an anonymous call later came in on Saturday, demanding a ransom.

“I received a call that claimed they had the children and was asking me to deposit money that I felt was worth my children on the same telephone number, but a sum of Shs30,000 was needed to feed the children,” she said.

Police tracked the kidnapper and arrested Ms Iriko’s cousin. The suspect had kept the children in a rented room in Nabuti Village. The children were rescued unharmed, and the suspect is currently detained at Mukono Central Police Station pending further investigations.

On arrest, the suspect told Monitor that he was broke and thought of the abduction as a quick way of earning money.

“I had no bad intentions but only wanted to have some money, and when the children came to me, I decided to have them. But I was planning to take them back since they had turned expensive to feed,” he said.

The children’s father, Mr Ronald Tibesigwa, expressed suspicion that his wife’s family might have plotted to extort money from him, citing their seemingly nonchalant attitude toward the abduction. Police, however, are focusing on investigating the suspect’s motives and possible accomplices.

Child abductions have become a growing concern in Uganda, with several notable cases reported in recent months.

Recently, a 7-year-old pupil was kidnapped from Ddimo Landing Site in Masaka District. Twelve suspects were arrested in connection with the crime after the kidnappers demanded Shs200,000, which was paid, but communication ceased thereafter.

In another case, a 15-year-old girl, Fiona Kiconco, was abducted in Rukungiri District. Police identified a suspect, Moses Katosiire, who claimed he had only helped the girl find a job as a housemaid.

In some instances, abductors demand ransom only for families to later find their children killed. Police continue to urge communities to remain vigilant, work closely with law enforcement, and avoid negotiating with kidnappers independently.

Authorities say these incidents highlight the urgent need for awareness, vigilance, and cooperation between communities and security agencies to curb child abductions.