The Uganda police force has condemned the act of mob justice inflicted on a 26-year-old male professional rugby player identified as Sidney Gongodyo, leading to his death.
According to Katuuma Rusoke, the Police Spokesperson, the police registered a case of mob action in Nakawa division, Kampala city, on June 5th, 2026, at around 2pm, after the victim was attacked and fatally beaten by a group of boda boda riders and other members of the public on suspicion of theft.
Rusoke revealed the incident during a weekly security presser at the police headquarters in Naguru on June 8th, 2026, as he discussed details surrounding the recent mob justice incident and how the police responded.
“As police, we responded to information as soon as we received it regarding the mob action. Upon arrival at the scene, Sidney was found critically injured but still alive. He was rushed to Mulago Hospital for medical attention, where he succumbed to his injuries,” Rusoke said.
Rusoke added that the police rushed to the crime scene and carried out a forensic examination to aid the investigations.
“A team of police officers from Kampala Metropolitan Police visited the scene of crime and documented it, together with a series of phone investigations,” he added.
He further noted that the hunt for suspects still at large was ongoing while three are already in police custody, lauding the public for the positive response in supporting the investigations.
“The hunt for suspects is ongoing, and we are glad that the public has taken a keen interest in identifying them. We have so far taken three into custody, but more, especially those who were seen in the footage actively involved in the mob action, will also be arrested. They cannot hide forever,” Rusooke noted.
Uganda Rugby Cranes player Gongodyo was reportedly killed by a mob in Ntinda after being mistaken for a thief during a robbery incident along Froebell Road.
Gongodyo’s father alleges that he was crossing the road when a suspected thief snatched a woman’s bag and escaped on a waiting boda boda. As the victim raised an alarm, boda boda riders and other members of the public reportedly turned on Gongodyo, assaulting him despite his pleas of innocence before he was fatally stabbed.
