The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kyegegwa district leads in murders with 67 cases
Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Crime Report for 2025 compiled by the Criminal Investigations Directorate shows that 25 Ugandans lose their lives due to murder and road crashes every day.
The figures from the 2025 police annual crime report show 4,328 people were deliberately killed by humans, translating into 11 people murdered a day, with assault accounting for 1,326 murders, the highest cause, and mob action resulting in 950 deaths.
Of these, 415 people were killed by strangulation, followed by 338 murdered by hacking, 292 stabbed, 289 beaten with blunt objects, 208 in domestic violence incidents, 190 shot, 111 poisoned, 61 in ritual ‘sacrifice’, and 58 in arson.
According to the report, Kyegegwa district leads in murders with 67 cases, followed by Mubende and Kyenjojo (58 each), Rukungiri (54), and Oyam (53). CID Director Major Tom Magambo said crimes registered dropped by 10.2% between 2022 and 2025, showing a consistent downward trend.
“This positive development results from deliberate and coordinated efforts by the Uganda Police Force in partnership with other sister security agencies to address and reduce criminal activity,” Magambo said.
On the traffic side, AIGP Lawrence Nuwabine, who is the Director of Traffic Police, reported 4,602 fatal crashes in 2025, resulting in 5,383 deaths, which translates to 14 deaths daily. This number of deaths by accidents is an increase of 4.7 percent from 2024’s 5,144 deaths.
Serious injuries increased 8.4% from 17,013 in 2024 to 18,444 in 2025. Minor injuries rose 0.5% from 3,651 to 3,668. Total crashes dropped to 322,441 in 2025 from 426,632 in 2024.
December saw most crashes (2,443) and June the lowest (1,978). Fatalities peaked in October (523) and dipped in June (390). Nuwabine attributed the rise in crashes and fatalities to higher travel demand, especially during festivals.
The Inspector-General of Police, Abas Byakagaba, said his leadership will fully implement the sub-county policing model in 2025 to fight crime, which is currently at 56% nationwide. “Other initiatives like CCTV cameras, enhanced K9 and forensic services, and operations have contributed to a 10.2% crime reduction in 2025, compared to 4.1% in 2024,” Byakagaba said.
Generally, police-recorded cases dropped from 218,715 in 2024 to 196,405 in 2025. Of these, 79,291 were taken to court, involving 99,004 accused persons. 31,732 accused were convicted.
