One thief has been killed and several others, who managed to escape severely injured after they were caught stealing sacks of coffee in Gomba district.

This incident happened on September 19, 2024, in Lukoola village in Kabulasoke Sub County in Gomba district, and the suspect who was lynched and burnt to death is still unknown; however, he is said to be aged between 18 and 20 years.

According to locals, the thugs attacked two villages of Lukoola and Matongo in Kabulasoke Sub County and broke into people’s homes to steal sacks of coffee; however, a mob of locals chased them down following a tip from those who had been robbed.

The locals added that once caught, the locals started to beat them up, but they managed to escape, and one was left behind.

During the interview, one of the locals identified as Musoke revealed that these thieves were travelling on three motorcycles; however, when they were caught, two of the motorcycles were burnt, and one was left unharmed because it had more than 10 empty bales of coffee, which were exhibits to present to the authorities.

’’I felt so sad that such a young and able-bodied man lost his life in such a sad way due to a wrong path he took as a youth,’’ Musoke disclosed.

Musoke disclosed that there are many cases of crime and theft in Matongo parish whereby these thugs break into people’s homes, ordinary shops, coffee stores, and coffee plantations and steal bales of coffee plus other household materials.

He suspected that the same thugs went to Councillor Nsamba’s coffee plantations last week and stole all his coffee, and this week they had attacked two people in Matongo and stole their sacks of coffee, something that angered the locals to a point of lyching them.

Police in Gomba took the corpse and the burnt boda bodas; however, one coffee trader was arrested to aid in police investigations.

The Ugandan government has taken steps to address the issue of mob justice. In 2019, a law was passed making participation in mob violence a punishable crime.