Kampala, Uganda | By Michael Wandati | In Kampala’s Nasser Road, the police have apprehended a man and his associate after he fell victim to a scam, losing UGX 800,000 in exchange for a forged provisional driving license.
Emmanuel Ggaazi, a resident of Mityana District, found himself in police custody at Nasser Police Post located along Nasser Road, in Uganda’s capital Kampala. His predicament began when he sought assistance from his friend, Moses Ssejjemba, earlier this year, with the intention of obtaining a driving license.
Ggaazi alleges that Ssejjemba introduced him to David Mugisha, who claimed to work at the police’s Inspectorate of Vehicles (IOV) in Naguru. Ggaazi initially acquired a provisional driving license and returned to Mityana. However, it expired before he could complete the necessary procedures for a legitimate driving license. Ssejjemba then referred him to Mugisha, who purportedly facilitated licenses at Naguru. Mugisha provided a document that the police later determined to be counterfeit, leading to Ggaazi’s arrest.
Ggaazi was apprehended by police officers at the Uganda Driver Licensing System (UDLS) offices located at the Railway Station on Nasser Road in Kampala. Discrepancies emerged when officials examined the provisional driving license, which did not match their records. They also discovered that the medical forms had been falsified and stamped. Consequently, Ggaazi was handed over to Nasser police.
“We looked at the provisional driving license and our records were not marching. We looked at medical forms and we realized they had been forged and stamped. We handed him over to Nasser police,” a police officer said.
Following his detention, Ggaazi was asked to contact Ssejjemba, who was subsequently arrested. Ssejjemba, in his defense, claimed that he had known Mugisha for a while, believing him to be a legitimate employee at Naguru IOV offices. He stated that he assisted his friend Ggaazi without realizing that Mugisha was a fraudster, as he had presumed Mugisha to be a genuine police staff member.
“I helped my friend (Ggaazi) because I knew Mugisha and all along I didn’t know that he was a masquerader. I thought he was a staff of police,” Ssejjemba said after being arrested.
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The police investigation has revealed that Ggaazi lost a substantial sum of money in his quest for a driving license. Luke Owoyesigyire, the Deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police Spokesperson, issued a stern warning, advising people to only engage with recognized government agencies rather than intermediaries.
Law enforcement officials are now actively searching for David Mugisha to answer charges related to fraud and forgery. Owoyesigyire emphasized the importance of dealing directly with government offices for any required services and urged individuals to avoid intermediaries.
“We are now looking for Mugisha to answer charges of fraud and forgery. But this should serve as a lesson to people to stop dealing with middlemen. If you want a service from a government office walk there personally and you’ll be served,” Owoyesigyire said.
