Obed Mugwisa, identified by investigators and online video footage as the prime suspect in the fatal attack on Ugandan rugby star Sydney Gongodyo, has been arrested by vigilante groups, sources confirm.
Mugwisa, who is alleged to be the man seen striking Gongodyo with a wooden plank during the violent incident, was reportedly picked up on Tuesday evening, around the same time Gongodyo’s body was being laid to rest in Mbale at about 6pm.
Mugwisa is a boda boda cyclist who operates from Frobel Road, near the Shree Kutch Satsang Swaminarayan Temple in Ntinda's Nsimbiziwoome Zone.
He had not managed to run too far from his operational base as Rachael Kawala, the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, said he was arrested from Nsimbiziwoome Zone.
However, police have not yet issued an official statement confirming Mugwisa’s arrest or detailing the circumstances under which he was taken into custody.
Gongodyo, a 27-year-old forward for the Uganda Rugby Cranes and player for Stanbic Black Pirates, died after a brutal attack on Friday, June 5, 2026, in the Kampala suburb of Bukoto. He was rushed to Mulago National Referral Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The killing has triggered nationwide outrage, with renewed calls for tougher action against violent crime and mob justice incidents in the city.
Investigations so far indicate that Gongodyo was attacked by a crowd after being wrongly or prematurely accused of involvement in a handbag snatching incident.
Police had earlier confirmed that several suspects were arrested in connection with the case and are currently being held at Kira Road Police Station as inquiries continue.
The arrested suspects include Noordin Ssebagala, Roden Ayebazibwe, Juliet Namukose, Elly Mondoni, Herbert Twinomujuni, Perigrino Katsigazi, Darious Tayebwa, and Hannington Tugume.
According to Kawala, the arrests were part of ongoing efforts to reconstruct the events leading to Gongodyo’s death.
Meanwhile, CCTV footage circulating online has added another layer to the investigation, showing an unrelated street robbery incident in which a man snatches a woman’s handbag before escaping on a motorcycle.
In the same clip, a bystander is seen approaching the scene as the victim screams for help, raising further public discussion about street crime and citizen intervention in Kampala.
Authorities have not yet confirmed whether the CCTV footage is directly linked to the attack on Gongodyo or if it relates to separate incidents being conflated on social media.
The Uganda Rugby Union President Godwin Kayangwe described Gongodyo’s death as a “monumental loss to the sport,” noting that it has left the rugby community in shock and led to the postponement of the Uganda Rugby Premiership semi-final.
As public pressure mounts, attention is now turning to Mugwisa’s arrest and whether formal charges will follow, even as police remain tight-lipped on the latest development.
