Eggaali: The new kifesi-like ready-for-hire gangs terrorising Ugandans

Eggaali is a word that has become popular lately. Yes, it started with musicians, but has now crept into our politics and electioneering.

Initially, they had been known as groups of youth there to limit access to their principal, many of whom are celebrities in town.
But before long, they had changed shape to become setups that cause mayhem in musical shows on the streets of both Kampala and the suburbs.

To describe what Eggaali means, you need to envision a human chain, but one that is now mostly composed of mean-looking and sometimes heavy-muscled young men ready to cause chaos. And they have lately become notorious for beating, stealing and on the extreme, raping women.

The word Eggaali now perfectly describes a group of deadly youth, rampaging the streets in gangs that brutalise, beat up people indiscriminately, snatch phones and handbags, and even destroy people’s properties, such as breaking car wind screens.
And their vulnerability has now delivered them into the hands of politicians, who exploit their inadequacies to fight battles that they sometimes have no idea.

It’s a dangerous trait that is eating up the ghettoised slums of Kampala, especially in the Kibuli areas of Kirombe, Lubuga, Rurembo, Kanakulya, Okirigi, Kisugu, Namuwongo, Nabisalu, and Katwe Kinyoro.
What is more shocking is that a large portion of such deadly gangs are sons, sometimes daughters, of former and current law enforcement officers in the area of Nsambya and Kibuli.

But beyond working for politicians and musicians, these gangs have, in much of the Kampala Metropolitan Area, engaged in theft, mainly targeting motorists in traffic jams and pedestrians moving in dark spots.
They are mostly active during celebrations that attract big crowds, such as New Year’s, Martyrs’ Day, or big events such as football matches in the Namboole stadium.

Many people have fallen victim, especially after big matches, who unknowingly fall into their traps, especially on the Northern Bypass. These fearful criminal gangs have also been hired during land wrangles for as low as UGX.10,000, but some have also been paid up to UGX30,000/ or UGX50,000.

Whereas some politicians hire them to hype their campaigns, they have used such gatherings to their advantage.
By and large, these fearful gangs are a time bomb waiting to cause havoc, which is, if it hasn’t hurt enough people already.

Comments

comments