Some victims of phone theft told URN that they’re advised to cooperate with the police station’s trackers. Those trackers then demand 100,000–150,000 UGX upfront to start the process, with the final amount usually settled through negotiation.
However, most victims claim that after paying, they rarely get their phones back or any updates. Some allege that the trackers do locate the phones and identify and arrest the thieves, but instead of returning the property, they strike a deal with the thieves to late them free.
TikToker Nantongo Snacks is among the latest victims of phone snatching. She said she was left frustrated after spending days being sent back and forth between detectives at Ndejje Police Station while trying to follow up on her case.
She says that after opening the case, the officer handling it handed her over to a police tracker, and she paid an upfront fee. Since then, nothing has been done only repeated demands for more money with no progress being told to her.
“The person who stole my phone had the guts to call me after replacing my SIM cards and told me, ‘I know you went to the police, but nothing can be done to me.’ He even threatened to shoot me. I’ve been telling the trackers about the threats I’m receiving, but they haven’t done anything.” Nantongo said.
Nantongo said the officer who handled her case and the tracker are now dodging her calls. When they do answer, they brush her off, telling her to stop pressuring them because they have other cases to deal with.
“I’m reliably aware that the thief was arrested by the same police tracking people, but they negotiated with him, took some money, and let him go. The thief continues to threaten me, saying I can’t do anything to him,” Nantongo said. Still reeling from what happened, Nantongo questions why the police who are supposed to protect citizens are working with criminals instead. She’s now calling on the police to deliver justice.
He said they have been receiving similar complaints about some officers, but in other cases, fraudulent trackers are also posing as police officers an act that continues to damage the police’s reputation.
“We have a problem in our tracking system with fake trackers posing as police officers. Some even get customers right from police officers in dealing with them. They have connections, target unsuspecting victims, charge huge sums of money, and never do the job. And because of that, people end up blaming the police as an institution,” Kituuma said.
He said tracking should be handled by the police through their ICT department, not by victims dealing directly with trackers even when it’s with the help of the officer managing the case. He added that direct contact between trackers and victims often leads to extortion.
Kituuma said they are actively cleaning up the house arresting the rogue officers and also cracking down on fraudsters posing as police in the tracking space.
Cue out… okulaba nga.”// Kampala Metropolitan remains the epicenter for mobile phone thefts, according to the Annual Crime Report 2025. The Katwe Police led with 795 cases, followed by Kawempe at 678 and Jinja road at 478. Authorities say they’re intensifying efforts to dismantle the street-level snatching networks operating in the area.
