DCI launches crackdown on receivers of stolen mobile phones
By Cy Muganda, January 31, 2026The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has intensified its crackdown on receivers of stolen mobile phones, launching an all-out manhunt for individuals believed to be key players in theft syndicates across the country.
In a statement posted on its X account on Saturday, January 31, 2026, the DCI revealed that detectives are pursuing receivers of stolen devices as part of efforts to dismantle the networks behind mobile phone theft.
“In the ongoing crackdown to curb mobile phone theft and the sinister networks behind it across the country, detectives have launched an all-out manhunt for receivers of stolen mobile phones,” the DCI stated.
Targeted raid
Through forensic trails, detectives launched a targeted raid pursuing a notorious receiver of stolen devices identified as Silas Kivyatu, believed to be a key player in the theft ring.
Two of Kivyatu’s accomplices were apprehended on January 24, 2026, with a cache of stolen mobile phones destined for the Ugandan market seized during the operation.
Detectives trailed Silas to his hideout in California, within Kamukunji Sub-County, but the suspect sensed the officers’ presence and made a hasty escape on a motorbike.
“However, as fate would have it, Silas sensed the officer’s presence and made a hasty escape on a motorbike, slipping through the detective’s fingers like a wisp of smoke,” the DCI said.
62 stolen phones recovered
Despite the Kivyatu’s escape, detectives made a significant recovery when he dropped a black carrier bag during his getaway.
“Yet luck was not entirely out of the detectives’ favour. In his frantic escape, he dropped a black carrier bag containing three neatly wrapped packages, each wrapped in yellow cellotape,” the statement read.
When detectives opened the packages, they found 62 assorted stolen mobile phones.
“When the detectives opened the packages, they found them to contain 62 assorted stolen mobile phones, a testament to the scale of Silas’s operations,” the DCI stated.
The DCI confirmed that detectives continue to pursue Kivyatu and his remaining accomplices, who are still at large.
“Through sustained, intelligence-led operations, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) remains unwavering in its commitment to dismantle mobile phone theft syndicates by targeting not only the thieves but also the receivers who fuel this criminal enterprise,” the statement concluded.