Jinja Road Police are searching for a runaway man and his wife for impersonating Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), employees to con a bishop of UGX 700 million in a fake television licensing deal.
The suspects include Kabanda Jeddy Daniel, who is on the run and his Namalwa Rita, who is currently in custody at Jinja Road Police.
The duo dealt a fake license deal to Bishop Musisi Kiwanuka Griva, the lead pastor of Prayer Palace Ministries and director of Dunamis Broadcasting Services, the company behind Dunamis Radio .
According to Luke Owoyesigyire, the Kampala Metropolitan Deputy police spokesman, the Bishop had applied to the UCC for a license to operate a television station, on February 06,2023 and April 03 2023as required under section 23 of the UCC Act.
In May 2023, Irene Kaggwa Ssewankambo, then the Acting Executive Director of UCC, authorized the licensing process for Dunamis Television.
During this time, Musisi was introduced to Kabanda Jeddy Daniel, who allegedly posed as a telecommunication engineer working with UCC. Kabanda’s wife, Namalwa , presented herself as the personal assistant to the UCC’s former executive director.
However, the suspects convinced Bishop Musisi to transfer UGX 150 million to Kabanda for what they claimed were necessary payments for the television license. In total, Musisi ended up paying over UGX 700 million in forged invoices and receipts that were purportedly issued by UCC.
All the money was paid through Kabanda and his wife Namalwa, who at all times delivered the invoices and the corresponding receipts after payment. After receiving the payments, Kabanda disappeared, and efforts to contact him have been unsuccessful.
Owoyesigyire says police investigations have confirmed that the invoices and receipts presented to the bishop were fake, and neither Kabanda nor Namalwa are employed by UCC.
The fraud extends further, with an additional UGX 250 million unaccounted for. These figures paid exclude over Ugx 250,000,00 (Two Hundred Fifty Million Shillings). Owoyesigyire says police are working to trace the whereabouts of Kabanda and bring both suspects to justice.
Police have also obtained letters from UCC verifying the fraud, as well as photos of Kabanda Jeddy Daniel to aid in the investigation.
Meanwhile, the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has officially responded to allegations of fraud involving Kabanda.
In a letter dated September 09, 2024, the Executive Director Haruna Musinguzi UCC responded to a 29th August 2024, letter written by the bishop accusing UCC employees of conning him. Musinguzi clarified key points regarding the fraudulent activities,
He stated that UCC has never issued a license for a television station under the name Dunamis TV, contradicting claims made by the suspects.
The letter also clarified that no employee by the name Kabanda Eddy Daniel has ever been, an employee of UCC. UCC verified that all invoices and receipts allegedly issued by the Commission and presented by the the Bishop are forgeries. The documents, used to scam the bishop out of over UGX 700 million, were entirely fabricated.
He further stated that UCC has no record of any payments or accounts linked to Dunamis TV, further proving that the entire transaction was fraudulent.
Musinguzi stated that the UCC has opened a General Enquiry File (GEF) with the Uganda Police Force to investigate and identify those responsible for the fraud. The Commission urged the complainant to cooperate fully with investigators to ensure that all parties involved in the scam are held accountable under the law.
The Acting Executive Director, Haruna Musirguzi, confirmed that UCC is committed to assisting in the investigation and is requesting further details about the fraudulent transactions to expedite justice.
Compiled by Minah Nalule
