A cross section of suspects arrested in the murder of Patricia Kairu
HABARI DAILY I Kampala, Uganda I They ran but could not hide as police investigations into the murder of Patricia Kairu, a student of Kampala International University (KIU), have led to the arrest of thirty seven suspects, including individuals allegedly linked to the second-hand mobile phone through which investigators have opened a key trail in the case.
In a statement issued on September 10, 2026, the Uganda Police Force said investigators had made significant progress and arrested several suspects following inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.
The investigation took a major turn on September 3, when police arrested Mawanda Abdul Swabur from Kiyanja.
According to police, investigations had established that Mawanda had arranged to meet Kairu in Kyengera on the day of the incident.
The late Patricia Kairu
“He is currently in custody as inquiries continue,” police said. The following day, September 4, investigators recovered Kairu’s mobile phone and arrested Matata Philian, a security guard at Seroma Hardware, together with his wife, Ayikoru Robinah.
Police said the deceased’s phone was recovered in their possession, opening another line of inquiry into how the handset moved from Kairu after her death.
Preliminary investigations established that the phone had allegedly been purchased from a shop located in the KK Plaza Basement along Namirembe Road.
The phone trail subsequently triggered a wider police operation targeting dealers in second-hand mobile phones at the shopping complex.
37 arrested in phone crackdown
On September 8, police conducted an operation at KK Plaza Basement, arresting 37 suspects and recovering 360 second-hand mobile phones from 15 shops.
Investigators then embarked on a screening process to establish the ownership and movement of the recovered phones and identify individuals connected to the shop from which Kairu’s handset was allegedly purchased.
During the screening, five suspects were positively identified as persons connected to the particular shop.
They are Baker Maiso, Brian Kayongo, Mugerwa Morris, Nagawa Christine and Balyejusa Brian.
Together with the suspects previously arrested, the operation has provided investigators with a growing network of people whose possible roles or connections to the murder are being examined.
Police, however, have cautioned that arrest does not amount to conviction, saying investigations are still underway to establish the individual responsibility of each suspect.
“All the suspects remain in custody as investigations continue to establish their individual roles and possible connection to the murder,” the Uganda Police statement said.
Police followed evidence
The development highlights the importance of tracing the deceased’s personal belongings in criminal investigations.
What began as the recovery of a body in Kyengera has developed into a wider investigation involving a meeting allegedly arranged before Kairu’s death, the recovery of her mobile phone and a subsequent trail leading investigators to a second-hand phone market in central Kampala.
The recovery of 360 phones during the KK Plaza operation demonstrates the scale of the screening exercise undertaken by police as they sought to identify the handset and trace individuals connected to its sale.
Kampala Metropolitan Police has pledged to pursue the investigation until all those found responsible are brought to justice.
Police said the suspects will be produced before court upon completion of investigations.
The force has also urged the public to allow investigators to complete the process as detectives piece together the circumstances surrounding Kairu’s death.
For the family, friends and fellow students of the KIU student, the arrests offer a significant development in the search for answers over how she died and who was responsible.
But with the suspects still under investigation, the police operation is far from over. The next phase will be to establish precisely what happened to Kairu, how her phone reached the second-hand market and whether those now in custody played direct or indirect roles in her death.
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