A 26-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly punched his colleague to death during a fight over a stick of opium in Kampala.
The suspect, identified as Faisal Kayiiwa, a casual labourer and resident of Kilonde-Kaboowa, is being detained at Katwe Police Division on murder charges following the incident.
The deceased has been identified as Badru Mukiibi, 23, a resident of Wilson Zone in Ndeeba.
According to Peter Seruwo, the Officer in Charge of Ndeeba Police Post, the two men were smoking opium at Mukiibi’s home when a disagreement erupted after Kayiiwa briefly stepped away.
Police say Kayiiwa returned to find that Mukiibi had allegedly smoked his stick of opium, triggering a heated confrontation that quickly turned violent.
“The suspect demanded his stick of opium back, and the two started fighting,” Seruwo said.
During the altercation, Kayiiwa allegedly punched Mukiibi on the left side of the chest. Witnesses say the victim collapsed and later died while being rushed to a nearby clinic, with preliminary accounts suggesting the blow may have caused internal bleeding and respiratory failure.
Police responded to the scene after receiving reports from residents, who had reportedly turned against the suspect.
“On arrival, we rescued the suspect from an angry mob that was assaulting him and attempting to set him ablaze,” Seruwo said.
Mukiibi’s body was taken to the City Mortuary for a postmortem examination, while Kayiiwa was initially held at Kibuye Police Post before being transferred to Katwe Police Division.
The case has been registered as murder under SD Ref: 02/22/07/2026, and investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile, Musa Muhanguzi, the Defence Secretary for Kironde Zone, blamed the incident on increasing drug abuse among unemployed youth in the area.
He alleged that many young people regularly consume narcotics such as opium and marijuana, warning that the vice has contributed to rising violence and criminal activity.
“This is not the first incident. Last year, someone was also killed near the railway under similar circumstances. Drug abuse is becoming a serious problem in our community,” Muhanguzi said.
According to the 2025 Police Annual Crime Report compiled by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID), Uganda recorded 4,328 murder cases, translating to an average of 11 people killed every day through assault, mob action, stabbings, shootings, poisoning, domestic violence, ritual killings, and other violent crimes.
