At least 93 female suspects escaped from a holding facility at City Hall Court on Thursday afternoon after they were allegedly released before appearing before a magistrate to answer various criminal charges.
The women had been arrested earlier in the day during a joint operation conducted by the Uganda Police Force and Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) enforcement officers targeting suspected offenders in different parts of Kampala.
According to a June 25 complaint addressed to the Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, Agnes Alum, Senior Principal Magistrate and Officer-in-Charge of City Hall Court Nicholas Aisu said the suspects had already been presented at court premises but were temporarily confined in a KCCA meeting room because the court’s holding cells could not accommodate the unusually large number of detainees.
Aisu explained that the female suspects were isolated in the meeting room with the approval of KCCA management while male suspects were processed first in court and in the available holding cells. However, court officials later discovered that the women had been released before their case files could be handled and pleas taken.
In his letter, the magistrate accused Kampala Deputy Lord Mayor Faridah Nakabugo of interfering with court proceedings and facilitating the release of the suspects.
“We were stunned when Hon. Nakabugo Faridah, Deputy Lord Mayor, obstructed their appearance before court and, working with some hooligans she had mobilised, forcefully freed all the female suspects who were set to appear before court this afternoon,” Aisu wrote.
He said the incident prevented the court from taking pleas in cases involving more than 50 female suspects and described the development as unprecedented for justice sector officials operating at the KCCA-based court. The magistrate requested guidance from the Chief Registrar and urged measures to prevent similar incidents in future.
Court records indicate that most of the suspects were facing charges of disturbing public peace under the Local Governments (Kampala City Council) Maintenance of Law and Order Ordinance, 2006.
Others were accused of fighting pedestrians with the alleged intention of stealing from them, selling foodstuffs without trading licences, smoking opium, excessive consumption of alcohol in public places and erecting makeshift roadblocks in poorly lit areas allegedly to facilitate robberies.
Copies of the magistrate’s complaint were also forwarded to the Registrar for Magistrates Affairs and Data Management, the Chief Magistrate of Buganda Road Court, Ritah Neumbe Kidasa, who supervises City Hall Court, Senior Magistrate Edgar Karakire, and placed on the court file.
When contacted for comment, Nakabugo answered her phone but said she was attending a meeting and was unable to respond to the allegations at the time.
Meanwhile, reports circulated on Thursday and Friday that security operatives had deployed around KCCA headquarters amid claims that Nakabugo was being sought for questioning over the incident. By the time of publication, police had not announced any formal charges against her.
Separately, Kampala Lord Mayor Ronald Balimwezo alleged that two members of his staff—his photographer, George William Ssenabulya alias William Kintu, and his driver, James Nsubuga—had been picked up by operatives travelling in an unmarked vehicle, briefly taken to court and later remanded to Luzira Prison.
“It is deeply concerning to witness such actions against citizens and workers carrying out their duties. When will these injustices come to an end in our country?” Balimwezo said.
However, sources familiar with the investigations said a scuffle erupted at City Hall during the alleged release of the suspects and that Kintu and Nsubuga were arrested at the scene.
Court records show that the two men have since been charged with engaging in disorderly behaviour. Prosecutors allege that on June 25, 2026, at City Hall Court in Kampala, they fought enforcement and security personnel who were maintaining order at the premises and assisted suspects to escape from lawful custody.
Investigators are also examining claims that Police Constable Jamiru Namazenze, attached to the KCCA parking section, had two mobile phones damaged and later stolen during the confrontation. It is further alleged that his police uniform was torn in the scuffle.
Police had not issued an official statement on the matter by the time of publication, and investigations into the escape of the suspects were still ongoing.
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