Police have directed officers to arrest private security guards found riding motorcycles or bicycles, or walking while carrying firearms, following the recovery of 23 guns stolen from private security organisations since January 2026.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said the directive is part of efforts to prevent firearms entrusted to private security organisations (PSOs) from falling into the hands of criminals.
Rusoke issued the directive while addressing journalists at Police Headquarters in Naguru on Monday.
“Those we find roaming on motorcycles and bicycles, we arrest, and we are informing our supervisors down there, DPCs, and other officers on the ground. Please arrest these fellows. You find them loitering recklessly,” Rusoke said.
He said armed guards should be transported safely between their places of deployment and their companies’ armouries instead of moving alone on motorcycles, bicycles or on foot.
Rusoke revealed that police and other security agencies have recovered 23 firearms that were supposed to be in the custody of private security organisations since the beginning of the year.
“Security agencies, that is, police and our sister security agencies under our interagency framework, have recovered 23 firearms,” he said.
He warned that the loss of firearms from private security companies poses a serious security threat because the weapons can fall into the hands of criminals and be used to commit robberies, kidnappings and other violent crimes.
“Our colleagues need to up their game,” Rusoke said, urging private security organisations to ensure that only trained and authorised guards are deployed with firearms.
Rusoke cited the recent recovery of a firearm stolen from a security guard in Kimombasa Cell, Bujiri, as an example of what he described as poor supervision by a private security organisation.
“This was a lone deployment. The gun ended up in the hands of thieves, and before we could realise, it was the gun being used for the kidnaps you saw in Buikwe,” Rusoke said.
According to the police spokesperson, the firearm was allegedly used in several kidnapping incidents in which suspects collected ransom payments worth hundreds of millions of shillings.
“The recklessness of PSOs has a very serious bearing on the security of our country,” Rusoke warned.
Police have consequently urged private security companies to strengthen supervision of armed guards and ensure that firearms are properly accounted for at all times.
Police also cautioned security guards against accepting food or drinks from strangers while on duty, following incidents in which guards were allegedly sedated before their firearms were stolen.
Rusoke further directed security guards and their employers to report immediately any theft or attack involving firearms.
He said delays in reporting such incidents make it more difficult for investigators to recover stolen weapons, preserve evidence and apprehend suspects.
“We appeal to them that in the event that a guard has been attacked, a gun has been taken, or any other form or act of offence has been committed at that scene, the reporting to police must be immediate and instant,” Rusoke said.
“We have registered situations where they conceal reports, and whereas you people know that when you report an incident very fast, it helps in the subsequent investigations and the chances that certain key pieces of evidence would be recovered or the suspects would be arrested,” he added.
Police said private security organisations have a responsibility to ensure that firearms issued to their personnel are securely handled, properly accounted for and promptly reported missing.
The directive comes as security agencies continue efforts to trace firearms lost or stolen from private security personnel and prevent the weapons from being diverted into criminal networks.
