The investigation into the murder of Sports Club Villa captain David Owori has widened dramatically, with Kampala Metropolitan Police arresting 17 suspects and uncovering what detectives say could be a broader gang responsible for a series of violent attacks on unsuspecting members of the public.
The 17 suspects comprise three suspected stolen-phone promoters, five key suspects and nine associates of the prime suspects, according to Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Racheal Kawala.
The latest revelations suggest that Owor’s death may not have been an isolated robbery but occurred during a night of coordinated attacks allegedly carried out by a gang operating in several parts of Kampala.
Police say the suspects have, during interrogation, admitted to conducting attacks using paving blocks, commonly known as pavers, and have named several other alleged accomplices who are still being pursued.
Gang allegedly went on Kampala attack spree
According to police, the suspects disclosed that on the night Owor was killed, they moved as a group and attacked unsuspecting members of the public in several parts of Kampala.
The areas mentioned by investigators include Nsambya, Nabisaalu, Kirombe and Makindye.
Police are now working to establish the full sequence of events that night, including the number of victims allegedly attacked by the gang, property stolen during the attacks and the identities of all members involved.
The investigation could therefore expand beyond the murder of the footballer as detectives attempt to link the suspects to other robbery and assault cases reported in the city.
The development also gives investigators a possible explanation for the large number of suspected stolen phones recovered during earlier raids.
Owori allegedly attacked during the gang’s night operations
Police say that on the night of August 4, 2026, Owor and other members of the gang who remain at large allegedly attacked the footballer and robbed him of his mobile phone.
Owor, who was captain of Sports Club Villa, died after the attack, triggering widespread shock across Uganda’s football fraternity.
The investigation initially gained momentum after detectives tracked an iPhone 14 Pro Max believed to have belonged to the deceased.
The phone was eventually recovered at Usafi Taxi Park, near Usafi Market in Kampala, providing police with a crucial lead into the suspected network.
The recovery led investigators to suspected dealers in stolen mobile phones and helped open the trail that has now resulted in the arrest of 17 people.
Bloodstained shoes, shin guards recovered
Police say searches conducted at the residences of suspects in Gangu Village, Kasubi, Kampala, have yielded additional exhibits that could prove important to the murder investigation.
Among the items recovered are two pairs of shoes, one of which reportedly had bloodstains.
Police suspect the bloodstained footwear could be connected to the attack, although forensic examination will be required to establish whether the blood belongs to Owor and whether the shoes were actually used during the assault.
Investigators also recovered a pair of shin guards found inside a black bag, which police suspect may have belonged to the deceased footballer.
A canister of pepper spray, a motorcycle and other items relevant to the investigation were also recovered.
The exhibits are expected to undergo forensic examination as detectives build the case against the suspects.
Earlier raids uncovered suspected stolen-phone warehouse
The latest arrests come after police previously recovered a substantial cache of mobile phones during raids linked to the investigation.
Investigators recovered four bags containing 80 iPhones, 40 Samsung phones, eight Redmi phones, two Tecno phones, two Infinix phones, two Vivo phones and three button phones.
Police also recovered four phone motherboards and three iPads, alongside SIM cards from MTN, Safaricom, Airtel and Lyca.
Other recovered property included ladies’ bags containing identification documents, phone covers and hard drives.
Police had identified Munyaneza Bashir alias “Jemo”, described as a suspected dealer in stolen mobile phones, and his associate Magoba Samuel as among the people linked to the phone trail.
The latest police statement now indicates that the investigation has expanded considerably, with the number of suspects in custody rising to 17.
Police probing stolen-phone connection
The inclusion of three suspected stolen-phone promoters among those arrested is particularly significant.
Investigators are now expected to establish whether the gang allegedly stole phones during attacks before passing them on to dealers or promoters who would then find buyers.
Police have not said that every phone recovered during the raids was stolen by the suspects.
Instead, detectives are working to match the recovered devices and other property with reports of theft and robbery in order to determine the wider criminal network.
The investigation could potentially expose a chain stretching from street-level attackers to people who receive, market and sell suspected stolen phones.
Who else was attacked?
Police are also expected to reconstruct the gang’s movements on the night of August 4.
The suspects reportedly told investigators that they operated around Nsambya, Nabisaalu, Kirombe and Makindye, raising the possibility that Owor was one of several people attacked that night.
Detectives will now have to establish:
- Who organised the alleged attacks;
- How many people participated;
- Which suspects were present at each location;
- What weapons or objects were used;
- How stolen property was distributed;
- Where the stolen phones were taken;
- Who received or sold the phones; and
- Whether the same group is connected to other robberies in Kampala.
The answers could determine whether the case remains a murder prosecution involving a limited number of suspects or develops into a much broader organised-crime investigation.
Nine associates also arrested
The decision by police to identify nine of those arrested as associates of the prime suspects suggests investigators are also trying to dismantle the wider support network around the alleged attackers.
Police have not publicly disclosed the individual roles of the nine associates.
However, their arrest indicates that detectives are looking beyond those directly suspected of participating in the attack on Owor.
The three alleged stolen-phone promoters could also provide investigators with information about the movement and disposal of phones allegedly obtained during robberies.
More suspects still at large
Despite the 17 arrests, police say the investigation is far from over.
Several alleged accomplices remain at large, and detectives are continuing efforts to identify, trace and arrest them.
Police have urged members of the public with information about the suspects or the alleged attacks to assist investigators as the operation continues.
For the Owor family and the football fraternity, the expanding investigation provides the first indication that authorities may be closing in on a wider group allegedly responsible for the attack that claimed the life of the Villa captain.
But the police operation now faces its most critical phase: turning the suspects’ statements, recovered phones, bloodstained shoes, shin guards, motorcycle and other exhibits into a clear evidentiary trail linking individual suspects to the murder.
A football captain’s death exposes a bigger security problem
Owor’s killing has increasingly become more than a case involving the death of a prominent footballer.
The police revelations point to a possible pattern of coordinated street attacks across several Kampala neighbourhoods, with stolen mobile phones allegedly forming part of the proceeds.
The recovery of more than 130 suspected stolen phones in the earlier operation, followed by the arrest of 17 suspects, has given investigators an opportunity to establish whether a structured market exists behind the street robberies.
For Kampala residents, the central concern is now whether the gang uncovered through the Owor investigation is responsible for other attacks that have gone unsolved.
Police say investigations are continuing and that further updates will be provided as more information becomes available.
For now, the hunt continues for the remaining suspects — while investigators attempt to piece together exactly what happened on the night David Owor was killed and how deep the alleged criminal network extends.
