In a shocking and outrageous turn of events, the management of Gateway Bus Company is facing severe public backlash after a spate of terrifying robberies targeting innocent passengers.
Last week, a group of three unsuspecting travelers embarked on what should have been a routine journey from Kampala to Kabale, only to find themselves victims of an elaborate crime. As the bus sped down the highway, the passengers were drugged with a powerful sedative hidden in food and drinks offered to them by cunning criminals who had infiltrated the bus.
What followed was a harrowing ordeal. The victims, who later came forward as Dr. Ronald Arineitwe, Clinton Bemanya, Julius Arineitwe (a lecturer at Kabale University), and Enock Nasasira, were ruthlessly dragged out of the bus upon reaching Kabale. The bus staff, who had a front-row seat to the unfolding crime, did nothing to intervene. The passengers were left unconscious and stranded in a desolate area along the roadside in Kabale town, with no one to help them.
The drama didn’t end there. The victims were later discovered by good Samaritans who rushed to their aid. These kind-hearted strangers took them to Mwesigye Clinic for emergency treatment. Had it not been for these compassionate individuals, the outcome could have been even worse.
As word of the incident spread, Kabale police took immediate action, launching a full-scale investigation. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) James Kawalya, Kigezi Region Deputy Police Commander Charles Okello, and Kabale District Police Commander convened an urgent meeting with local bus operators. The police were eager to get to the bottom of these increasingly frequent and alarming crimes.
SSP Kawalya didn’t mince his words during the meeting, accusing Gateway Bus Company of gross negligence and carelessness. He expressed his outrage over how the company’s staff seemed either unaware of or complicit in the robberies, leaving their passengers exposed to these heinous crimes. The victims were shaken, but their courage in reporting the incident ensured that statements were gathered and investigations were launched.
Joseph Agaba, the manager for Gateway Bus Company in Kabale, offered a response that many found too little, too late. He insisted that management had issued specific warnings to passengers to be cautious when consuming food or drinks during their journeys, citing the alarming frequency of incidents where criminals laced refreshments with sedatives to incapacitate victims before robbing them. Agaba’s call for heightened vigilance felt somewhat hollow to the victims and the public, who were already enraged by the apparent lack of action on the company’s part.
The situation had already been escalating, with previous reports of similar crimes. In November 2024, the police spokesperson, Kituuma Rusoke, had warned the public to be extra vigilant about food and drink offerings during their travels.
The warning came after a particularly chilling incident where Basikana Amon, a 24-year-old man, was drugged on a Jaguar company bus traveling from Kampala to Kigali. Amon was found unconscious at the Uganda-Rwanda border, having been robbed of all his valuables, including his phone and money. Just a day later, another group of passengers on a different Jaguar bus found themselves in a similar predicament—sedated and robbed on their journey from Kampala to Kigali.
Paul Biriiso, Vice Chairman of the Kabale District Bus Operators Association, assured the public that swift action would be taken to crack down on these criminal activities. The association pledged to work closely with law enforcement to identify and apprehend those responsible for orchestrating these sinister plots.
As the investigation continues, the public remains on edge, wondering whether their next journey will be their last in the hands of ruthless criminals lurking within the very buses they trust. With the mounting pressure on bus companies like Gateway and Jaguar, one can only hope that authorities take swift and decisive action to restore safety and trust in Uganda’s public transportation system before more lives are ruined.
Do you have a story in your community or an opinion to share with us: Email us at editorial@watchdoguganda.com
