Ali Marcus Lwanga aka God’s Plan is to many a polarizing figure. By 21, he’d made news in Newham, the United Kingdom as a modern-day Fagin. Fagin, a character in Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist book was known for using a street gang made up of children.
Such was the life of Ali Marcus Lwanga as he ran a gang of young children waylaying bullion vans and stealing money from them. As such, he was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2008. He would later return in 2016, this time under a new name; “God’s Plan.”
Lwanga also played professional football for Yeovil Town aka Glovers making a number of appearances for the reserves and youth team in the 2007-08 season. “He was a promising striker, often scoring the much needed late minute goals,” says Peter Burridge, a former colleague. His arrest in 2008 made news as it was ground-breaking in the field of crime. Lwanga, aged 21, of Canning Town, East London, was the first offender to be tracked down using SmartWater.
He was found guilty at Wood Green Crown Court of conspiracy to rob and concealing criminal property after being arrested by the Flying Squad. Lwanga recruited youngsters to carry out cash in transit robberies in North London. His recruitment base was at the McDonald’s restaurant, a quick drop in for many UK teenagers. As a result of his arrest, cash in transit robberies reduced.
At the time of big spender Don Ivan Ssemwaga’s last days, Lwanga aka God’s Plan became more visible during the money splashes. It is in South Africa that God’s Plan would become a piece in Sheilah Gashumba’s life. Three years later, the couple has become a sensation in town.
During the trial of prolific robber, Ali Lwanga, the court heard that detectives were first alerted to Lwanga’s activities when he attempted to launder hundreds of pounds using gaming machines at branches of Ladbrokes in Canning Town.
Suspicious staff alerted the Police who began monitoring Lwanga’s movements.
Whilst under surveillance, Lwanga was seen discarding a glove stained with blue dye from a cash-in-transit robbery in a wheelie bin near his home. He was subsequently arrested and a search of his address revealed a quantity of stained cash notes hidden under his mattress.
Detectives submitted the evidence to SmartWater scientists for testing. Analysis revealed the money Lwanga was exchanging in Ladbrokes had been stolen during a cash-in-transit robbery at a NatWest branch in Enfield. A total of £25,000 was taken during the raid, whilst Lwanga was seen trying to launder it less than two hours after the robbery.
SmartWater samples recovered from the stained cash under Lwanga’s mattress were traced to a £25,000 haul from a cash-in-transit robbery at a branch of Barclays Bank and a second robbery of £25,000 at Opal Money Transfer in Leytonstone. Traces of SmartWater on the glove were linked to £5,194 stolen during a security van raid at Gallions Reach Retail Park in Beckton.
Marcus Ali Lwanga lived on Victoria Dock, E16, London. This address is shared with his other relatives, Isaac Lwanga, Shara and Sarah Namusisi. But this also reveals other interesting details. Although God’s Plan carries the alias of “Ali”, we find out that he used all this as a cover. He comes from a religious family.
The family runs a registered UK Charity Organisation named us Tower of Prayer Christian Ministries. This Charity was registered on 29th March 1999 under the number: 1074908. It has 6 trustees (Sarah Namusisi, Ann Byarugaba, Juliet Nakakute, Mary Namusoke, Dorcas Mirembe and Bishop Mary Lwanga) and 8 volunteers. The charity operates in the London Borough of Newham.
The question is; “how did the apple fall so far from the tree?” How did Marcus drift so far away from his religious upbringing? In our next exclusive, we bring you God’s Plan’s current source of income and his current official business names. We also bring you his Ugandan business partners and stakeholders both in Police, at Airports and other government institutions. We shall track deal by deal, route on route to reveal more.
Enock Mugabi aka iWitness is a Journalist, Seasoned Writer and Music Analyst with a passion for sports.
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