Zadock Amanyisa | Tayari News
KAMPALA – The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) have issued a stern warning to Ugandans impersonating officials in security agencies to defraud members of the public and foreign investors.
Col. Chris Magezi, the UPDF Public Information Officer, says “there is a growing tendency by criminal elements and criminal-minded members of the public to personate members of the security agencies for ill motives.”
Some government security institutions being impersonated include the UPDF, the Internal Security Organisation, and the Uganda Police Force; ministries, departments, and agencies have not been spared.
“The motive behind this criminal behaviour is to mislead and dupe unsuspecting members of the public into entering regrettable investment decisions and ventures, defrauding them of hard-earned resources and property. They also extort, manipulate, and torture their victims with all manner of threats.” He said in a Monday statement
Joint operations and investigations conducted over the past year show that 18 cases were handled between May 2025 and Apr 2026, a majority of which have been concluded and forwarded to courts of law for further management.
“The category of cases forwarded to courts of law may not be over-emphasised due to the rule of sub-judice, which prohibits discussing the merits and demerits of a case before the court.”
Targeted groups by the criminal elements include foreigners with business interests in the country, including multinational Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs). Uganda business entities and individuals at all levels of society have not been spared.
“We, therefore, urge members of the unsuspecting public to take extra caution and conduct due diligence while running their day-to-day business. Any suspected criminal behaviour should be reported to the nearest Police or UPDF authority for timely and appropriate intervention.” Said Col. Magezi