A hunt has kicked off for a man who posed as a State House staff member and stayed in a hotel in Busia for 34 days, accumulating bills worth Shs5 million before disappearing.
Solomon Buyizi Ssemakula reportedly checked into Gold Star Hotel in Busia Town on October 13, claiming he was a State House employee attached to the Presidential Press Unit (PPU).
“He secured a room for himself and informed us that he would be staying for one month as part of an advance team preparing for the arrival of other PPU members. He stayed on, assuring management that the main team would arrive with the money to settle the bills,” the hotel manager, Martin Tusiime told UG Bulletin.
This website has learnt that four days into his stay—on October 17—the hotel manager began to grow suspicious. When questioned, the suspect convinced management that his bosses were indeed coming and that he was part of a mobilisation team distributing T-shirts ahead of planned activities.
Over the 34 days, Buyizi ate, drank, and slept at the hotel, running up a bill of Shs5 million.
Although he occasionally claimed to pay using mobile money, the funds never appeared on the hotel’s account, raising suspicion that he would send the money and then reverse the transactions.
“The situation escalated when he mobilised over 200 boda boda riders, promising to give each rider Shs20,000 for fuel to support his alleged mobilisation activities. When he failed to deliver the money, the riders tracked him to Gold Star Hotel. More than 200 of them stormed the premises looking for him,” the manager said.
With the gate locked at the time, the riders forced their way in, damaging the gate and its automatic lock. Hotel management estimates the repair cost at Shs21 million.
On the day the imposter fled, he had also made advance bookings for four additional days, claiming his team was arriving—causing the hotel to reserve rooms and lose genuine customers.
Investigations indicate that Buyizi exploited President Museveni’s campaign schedule, which showed that the NRM presidential candidate would be in Busia on Saturday, November 15, to deceive the unsuspecting hotel management.
A case of theft has since been reported to Busia Police Station and registered under SD Ref 38/13/11/2025 .
It is said Buyizi is affiliated to a person only identified as Nobert, an event promoter, under Unstoppable Uganda.
Special Forces Command (SFC) spokesperson Maj Jimmy Dennis Omara confirmed that the report had been brought to their attention but dismissed claims that Buyizi worked with the PPU.
“I can confirm that Mr. Solomon Buyizi Ssemakula is neither a member of the Presidential Press Unit nor part of the media team on the presidential campaign trail. We are investigating the incident and urge anyone with information to come forward,” Maj Omara said.
He added:
“We appeal to the public to always verify the authenticity of individuals claiming to represent State House. We assure the public that we will pursue all avenues to bring the culprit to book.”
