Police in Kampala have kicked off a manhunt for a man who fleeced a Kampala pastor of shs700 million in a bogus deal to get him two licences for his TV stations from Uganda Communications Commission.
Jed Daniel Kabanda is currently on the run after conning Bishop Grivas Kiwanuka Musisi, the lead pastor at Prayer Palace Kibuye of shs700 million after duping that he was an employee of UCC and that he would help him acquire two licences but also equipment for his two tv stations.
This website has learnt that between 2020 and 2024, Bishop Kiwanuka sought to get two licences for Dunamis Radio and Dunamis TV and in the process, he was introduced to Jed Kabanda Daniel who would help him fastrack the two licences as well as equipment.
Kabanda introduced himself as a telecommunication engineer attached and employed by UCC and that he had allegedly been deployed to supervise the payments and operational machinery for the pastor’s television station.
The pastor was consequently asked to pay shs1 billion and was allowed to pay it in installments of shs200 million and shs100 million.
This website has learnt that in one of the meeting, Kabanda introduced his wife, Ritah Namalwa as a personal assistant to the UCC Executive Director.
Following this meeting, the pastor was persuaded to pay shs150 million since “ he had now talked directly to the PA of the UCC boss.”
However, after paying the shs700 million, the lead pastor at Prayer Palace Church sought to ascertain the status of his licence application and consequently wrote to UCC.
He was astonished to find out that he had been fleeced after UCC wrote back to him indicating they had never received his applications and that the said people had never been their employees.
“According to the Commission’s records, the Commission has never received and/or otherwise granted any license for any entity to operate a television station under the name Dunamis TV. The Commission does not have any employee by the name Kabanda Eddy Daniel,” UCC wrote to the pastor.
“All the documents that were attached on your letter, including the invoices and receipts that were purportedly issued to your clients by the Commission are forgeries. The Commission has no record of any account that was opened in the name of Dunamis TV and no payment has ever been received from and/or on account of the said non-existent entity.”
Consequently, a General Inquiry File was opened up at police leading to the arrest of Namalwa.
Kampala Metropolitan deputy police spokesperson, Luke Owoyesigyire confirmed the arrest of Namalwa and the hunt for Kabanda.
“We are looking for him for directly receiving the money. The file is being handled by Kampala Metropolitan East but soon will be submitted to the office of the Resident State Attorney for perusal and advice,” Owoyesigyire said.
“We however ask members of the public to always do due diligence before entering any money transaction but also make use of lawyers.”
He appealed to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the pastor to provide it to police.
