A rifle that had been missing for nearly a month after disappearing from a private security guard in Mityana District has been recovered in a surprising discovery in neighbouring Kassanda District.
Police in Mityana confirmed the recovery of rifle number UG PSO-564211567/15036, which went missing on May 20, 2026, while in the possession of Baluku Anderson, a security guard employed by Neptune Guards Ltd.
Lameck Kigozi the Wamala Regional Police Spokesperson explains that at the time of the incident, Baluku had been deployed at Shrida Investment Ltd in Kiwesa Cell, South Ward, Ttamu Division, Mityana District. Following the loss of the firearm, he was arrested and has since been remanded as investigations continued.
Kigozi said that the breakthrough in search for missing gun came on June 11, 2026, at around 1:00 pm,a resident of Kikandwa Village in Kalwana Sub-county, Kassanda District, went to his garden to collect bean husks for use as firewood while roasting maize.
To his astonishment, he discovered what appeared to be a gun wrapped in a black pair of trousers and concealed beneath the bean husks.
Kigozi said that, the bean crop had been harvested and thrashed on June 6, and the husks were left in the garden. While collecting them several days later, the resident stumbled upon the hidden firearm.
He added that the resident immediately alerted his son, who rushed to the scene and confirmed the discovery before he subsequently reported the matter to Kikandwa Police Station.
Police officers visited the scene, documented the evidence and recorded statements from witnesses before recovering the firearm. The weapon was later secured and registered as an exhibit pending further investigations.
”A verification process established that the serial number of the recovered firearm matched that of the rifle reported missing in Mityana, effectively bringing to an end the search for the weapon that had sparked widespread concern among residents ” Kigozi said
Authorities have, however, launched fresh investigations to determine how the firearm, which disappeared while deployed in Wabigalo, Mityana District, ended up concealed in bean husks in Kikandwa Village, Kassanda District.
Police have reassured the public that the recovered rifle is now in safe custody and no longer poses any threat to public safety.
The recovery is expected to ease fears among residents of Mityana, many of whom had expressed concern over the whereabouts of the missing firearm since it was reported lost nearly four weeks ago.
Investigations into the circumstances surrounding its disappearance and movement remain ongoing.
