BECAUSE MOST PARTICIPANTS TEND TO BE ARMED AND INFLICT GRIEVOUS HARM, SOME WRITERS HAVE REFERRED TO KONDOISM AS ARMED ROBBERY OR ROBBERY WITH VIOLENCE. THE PRESENT STUDY SET OUT TO ARTICULATE KONDOISM AS A CONCEPT BY INVESTIGATING THE ORIGINS OF THE WORD KONDO. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH INTENSIVE INTERVIEWS WITH 17 COMMUNITY INFORMANTS. TO SUPPLEMENT THAT SOURCE, NEWSPAPER AND MAGAZINE REPORTS AS WELL AS COURT RECORDS WERE ALSO USED. IN ADDITION, 10 CONVICTED KONDOS SERVING IN THE UGANDAN PRISONS WERE INTERVIEWED IN ORDER TO EXPLORE THE PHENOMENON AND HOW IT HAS CHANGED OVER THE YEARS. ANOTHER AREA EXAMINED BY THE PRESENT STUDY CONCERNED THE VIOLENCE IN KONDOISM. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF 123 KONDOISM CASES REPORTED TO THE POLICE BETWEEN 1966 AND 1970 IN SIX POLICE PRECINCTS. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT ALTHOUGH THE TERM KONDO ORIGINATED FROM THE PROCEEDINGS OF A COURT CASE IN 1952, THE PHENOMENON DENOTED BY THE TERM EVOLVED FROM SUCH FACTORS AS THE CHANGE FROM A COLLECTIVE TO AN INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY, THE CONFLICT BETWEEN THE CHIEFS AND THE PEASANTS, AND THE CHANGE IN THE ECONOMIC SYSTEM ALL OF WHICH EXISTED IN UGANDA AS EARLY AS 1900. THE STUDY HAS FOUND, HOWEVER, THAT DESPITE ITS ORIGINAL ASSOCIATION WITH THESE SOCIOCULTURAL PROCESSES, THE VIOLENCE IN KONDOISM IS DEPENDENT ON THE PERSONAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE OFFENDERS AND THE VICTIMS. THE AMOUNT AND NATURE OF VIOLENCE IN KONDOISM IS DEPENDENT ON THE AMOUNT AND NATURE OF RESISTANCE THE VICTIMS PUT UP. IT IS ARGUED IN CONCLUSION THAT SINCE THE NATURE OF KONDOISM SHOWS MANY SIMILARITIES WITH PHENOMENA REPORTED IN OTHER DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, IT MIGHT BE BENEFICIAL TO VIEW KONDOISM AS A PROBLEM OF THE DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS ARE ALSO PRESENTED FOR POLICY AND RESEARCH APPLICATIONS. TABLES AND LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED -MLC)