Impersonator jailed for faking President Museveni’s directive

What the report says

Uganda’s courts handled several high-profile matters last week, including a forgery case tied to President Yoweri Museveni’s name. According to The Observer, businessman Male Nicholus pleaded guilty before the Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s Court to seven counts of forgery and uttering false documents after investigators from the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the Criminal Investigations Directorate said he used fake presidential and government paperwork to try to persuade Nation Oil Distributors Limited to secure a long-term contract extension connected to the MV Kalangala ferry. The court sentenced him to 18 months on each count, to run concurrently.

The same roundup also reported a damages ruling against the Uganda Wildlife Authority in Mbale, where Justice Farouq Lubega ordered the agency to pay Shs 160 million to student and runner Arapmwoko Emmanuel over a shooting by game rangers near Mount Elgon National Park in 2021. The judge rejected the authority’s reliance on a prior payment and waiver form, and described the harm as a serious violation of rights. The award included special, general and punitive damages.

In a separate commercial case, the Court of Appeal reduced a large award against MTN Uganda in a dispute brought by Ezee Money Uganda Limited over alleged interference and statutory breaches, while still upholding liability for wrongful interference with contractual relations. The paper also said the appellate court upheld convictions in a 2014 Lira murder case, adjusting sentences after accounting for time spent on remand.