Prime
Six arrested over extortion, impersonation
What you need to know:
- Ms Suzan Nantunbwe Immaculate, another coordinator of the programme, told Daily Monitor on phone that Umoja Ni Kaazi is under the President’s office.
- According to the Umoja Ni Kaazi membership registration form which Daily Monitor has seen, the project is located in Seguku Zone V, Entebbe Road in Wakiso District.
Sironko. Police in Sironko District have arrested six women in connection with alleged impersonation and extortion of money from residents by false pretense.
The suspects were arrested at the weekend on the directive of the Resident District Commissioner, Mr Moses Wamoto, after residents reported that a group of women allegedly working for President Museveni’s brother, Gen Salim Saleh, under the programme, Umoja Ni Kaazi, were collecting money from them.
Mr Wamoto said the group had so far collected Shs4 million from unsuspecting residents.
The Elgon region police spokesperson, Mr Suwedi Manshur, confirmed the arrest.
“We interrogated them [suspects] and they told us that Umoja Ni Kaazi programme is from State House and run by Gen Salim Saleh,” he said.
Mr Wamoto said the suspects were sensitising residents in the district to form groups under the project and that each member would get at least 20 chicken and cows.
“It has become a habit of people conning residents using the General’s names and State House,” he said, adding that police recovered Shs700,000 from the suspects as exhibits.
However, Mr Fred Waniala, a crime preventer and one of the coordinators of the programme, when contacted, dismissed allegations that they were conning people.
“We received money from the residents but each member who paid will get chicks. This is a programme from State House,” Mr Waniala said.
He said by the time police arrested some of their members, they had organised to travel to Kampala.
Ms Suzan Nantunbwe Immaculate, another coordinator of the programme, told Daily Monitor on phone that Umoja Ni Kaazi is under the President’s office. “That programme is genuine and it is running across the country. It has moved to 88 districts,” Ms Nantunbwe, who claims to be the secretary of Gen Salim Saleh, said. According to the Umoja Ni Kaazi membership registration form which Daily Monitor has seen, the project is located in Seguku Zone V, Entebbe Road in Wakiso District.
