GULLIES OF LOSS: ARUA-KAMPALA HIGHWAY ROBBERIES PERSIST

West Nile RPC SSP. Denis Ochama responding on the continuous highway robbery.

By Morish Dramadri

Arua city

Businessmen and bus owners in Arua city have continued counting losses over the uncontained highway robberies along Arua Kampala highway at Enzeva in Arua district.

The robberies along this highway orchestrated by unsuspected thugs targeting cargo trucks and buses are said to be carried out between 12:00am to 4:00am as vehicles along this point slow down speed due to the gullies on long-steep road around Enzeva in Arua District.

In September 2024, security operatives pitched camp at Enzeva where they arrested about three suspected highway robbers in the area while putting one out of action in a confrontation with them.

Though the crackdown saw some suspects arrested, the operation only showed gullies of opportunity to the robbers as they on December 27, 2024 robbed a California bus enroute to Arua leaving about eight traders in losses.

Kilion Baku a resident of Vurra Sub County trading in clothes who lost goods worth 3million shillings to the robbers narrates that, “When we reached at Ullepi it was dark so the vehicle was now moving slowly, now reaching O’dia, we were trying to offload the luggage, the luggage were nowhere to be seen what happened, we don’t know, but to my dismay when these people are taken to court, they cannot even stay one month in prison, as per now children are supposed to go to school and I don’t know how I’ll pay them now,” Baku complained.

Geoffrey Omviti a trader in Gagaa market who equally lost his items to the robbers faulted government for the poor state of this road and failure to deploy security along this spot.

“Eight of us have lost all the goods and we don’t know exactly what to do, I don’t know what the government can do for us because the road itself from Ullepi up to Kuluva is really dilapidated and we have heard what recently happened in this place and we have not realized any security on this road,” Omviti complained  
Meanwhile Saverino Embatia the managing director of California bus company that has lost over 800 million shilling in compensating its client who fell victim of this robbery faulted the judiciary for failing to provide justice after suspected robbers are handed over to them.

“Police and UPDF are doing a good job for us, but those who are frustrating our efforts are the people of judiciary, court is not helping us, releasing them, giving them bail, they go back and steal again, it means the insecurity along this Arua Kampala road will always be high,” Embatia pointed.
 
Embatia Saverino the managing director of California bus
services.

But West Nile regional police commander SSP. Denis Ochama while responding to the matter revealed that the cases of those suspects are still on going.

“After arresting some of those people who stole from a bus, that case went up to court, I don’t know what could have happened but some suspects were arrested and they were remanded also, that case is still on going,” SSP. Ochama confirmed.