BUSIA, Kenya — Two Kenyan men wanted over the alleged murder of a boda boda rider and the theft of his motorcycle in Busia County have been arrested in Uganda following a cross-border manhunt involving security agencies from both countries.
Police said the suspects fled into Uganda after allegedly killing the motorcycle rider in Butula Constituency, where investigators believe they launched a second violent robbery before their arrest.
According to a police report, Ugandan security officers apprehended the pair after tracking them across the border, bringing an end to several days of coordinated investigations.
Authorities in Butula said intelligence gathered during the investigation identified the suspects as local residents, with one already being sought in connection with other criminal activities.
Investigators allege the suspects fatally assaulted the boda boda rider in Bujumba Sub-location before stealing his motorcycle and escaping into Uganda.
Police believe the violence did not end there.
After crossing the border, the suspects allegedly attacked another boda boda rider in Uganda, seriously injuring him before stealing his motorcycle and fleeing once again.
Ugandan security agencies subsequently launched a manhunt that resulted in the arrest of two of the three suspects believed to have participated in the cross-border crime spree.
Police also recovered the motorcycle stolen from the Kenyan victim.
Efforts are continuing to trace the second motorcycle allegedly stolen from the Ugandan rider, as well as the third suspect who remains at large.
Authorities said the two suspects are expected to face criminal proceedings in Uganda before arrangements are made for their transfer to Kenya to answer additional charges relating to murder and motorcycle theft.
The case has highlighted growing concern over cross-border criminal networks operating along the Kenya-Uganda frontier, where stolen motorcycles are often transported across the border to frustrate investigations and complicate asset recovery.
The arrests come amid a wider increase in violent robberies targeting boda boda riders across Kenya.
In a separate case, the Wajir Law Courts recently sentenced two men to death after convicting them of violently robbing a boda boda rider and stealing his mobile phone and money from his mobile money account.
Senior Principal Magistrate Eric Malesi ruled that prosecutors had proved the case beyond reasonable doubt, relying on witness testimony and documentary evidence presented during the trial.
The court heard that on the night of November 13, 2025, the victim was transporting two men through Wajir Township when about five additional accomplices emerged and surrounded him.
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Armed with knives, the gang assaulted the rider, threatened to kill him and stole his mobile phone valued at Ksh30,000.
The attackers then forced the victim to accompany them to a mobile money withdrawal outlet, where they compelled him to disclose his account PIN before withdrawing Ksh15,000 from his account.
Although the rider later escaped and alerted the mobile money agent, investigators said the gang had already collected Ksh10,000 in cash and instructed the agent to transfer the remaining Ksh5,000 to another mobile number before fleeing.
Police say the Busia and Wajir cases underscore the continuing threat posed by organised gangs targeting boda boda riders, whose motorcycles remain among the most sought-after assets for criminal syndicates operating within and across Kenya’s borders.
