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Uganda’s booming betting industry has been thrown into scandal after a Fortebet employee was unmasked as part of a deadly armed gang behind the cold-blooded murder of a senior police officer and a wave of violent robberies across the Kampala Metropolitan Area.
In a dramatic intelligence-led swoop, police arrested five suspects, including Okello Daniel, a guard attached to Fortebet, during raids carried out between January 24 and 27, 2026, in Kirinya, Bweyogerere, Wakiso District.
Other suspects were identified as Amutuhairwe Robinson, discharged former army personnel, Kasango Arafat, Luyirika Joseph Innocent, and Alphonse Daniel.
The operation exposed a heavily armed criminal cell, with detectives recovering three guns and magazines, weapons authorities say were used to terrorise the city and spill innocent blood.
Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson SP Rachel Kawala confirmed that the suspects confessed to executing ASP Bagenda Emmanuel, the Officer-in-Charge of Ntawo, who was shot dead in broad daylight on November 23, 2025, while on active duty.
The fallen officer had reportedly been responding to intelligence on an armed robbery when he was lured into a deadly ambush along the Ntawo–Nyenje Road, leaving the force — and the nation — in mourning.
Even more alarming, investigators revealed that one of the suspects is a discharged former soldier, raising chilling questions about trained gunmen slipping into civilian jobs while running criminal syndicates on the side.
Police say the gang specialised in mobile money robberies, striking fast, hard and violently, leaving victims traumatised and communities living in fear.
The revelation that a Fortebet employee is at the centre of the gang has ignited public outrage, with growing calls for betting firms and private companies to explain how criminal elements infiltrate their security teams.
As detectives widen the dragnet, police warn that more suspects are being hunted down, insisting that no uniform, job title or company name will shield criminals from justice.
“This is a serious criminal enterprise, and we are dismantling it piece by piece,” SP Kawala said.
With a police officer dead, guns off the streets, and a major betting brand dragged into the spotlight, the Fortebet link has turned this case into a national scandal.
The Fortebet connection has reignited long-standing public concerns that betting outlets — now spread across the country— are quietly becoming crime magnets, drawing in jobless youth, hardened criminals and armed enforcers.
“Betting shops handle cash daily. If vetting is weak, they can easily become recruitment grounds for gangs,” a security source warned.
As outrage grows, pressure is mounting on betting companies to explain their recruitment, background checks and internal controls, with critics asking whether profits are being prioritised over public safety.
