Police in Kampala have arrested a man who allegedly posed as a grieving father to solicit condolence money from unsuspecting churchgoers.
According to the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, Superintendent of Police Racheal Kawala, the suspect, 36-year-old David Ashabahebwa, a resident of Nsambya Kirombe Zone in Makindye Division, was arrested on Sunday after attempting to collect money at St. Stephen Church of Uganda in Nsambya.
“It is alleged that he moves to different churches and obtains money by pretending that he has lost a nine-year-old daughter,” Kawala said.
She explained that Ashabahebwa was exposed when a visiting reverend from Gayaza, who was attending the service, recognised him and alerted the congregation.
“Towards the end of the service, he informed the reverend and the church congregation that he had lost his nine-year-old daughter but he was identified by another reverend from Gayaza who had attended church that day.”
The cleric reportedly told worshippers that the same suspect had earlier visited their church using a similar story to solicit condolence contributions.
Police said preliminary investigations indicate that Ashabahebwa’s intention was to obtain money by false pretence in the form of condolences from the public.
The suspect is currently detained at Kabalagala Police Station.
“We have opened up a case of obtaining money by false pretence as investigations continue. Preliminary investigations indicate the aim of his pretence is to get money in form of condolences from the public,” Kawala said.
Past incidents
Cases of obtaining money by false pretence are not uncommon in Uganda and have taken various forms over the years. Police and courts have previously handled matters involving individuals who impersonated senior government officials to solicit money from victims under the guise of offering jobs or favours.
In other instances, suspects have been charged for defrauding community groups by falsely claiming to facilitate access to government programmes and funds.
There have also been cases involving fraudulent gold deals, where suspects allegedly convinced victims to invest large sums of money in non-existent mineral transactions.
Similarly, land fraud cases involving forged documents and false ownership claims have frequently resulted in charges of obtaining money by false pretence.
Authorities say these schemes are often built around emotional manipulation, abuse of trust and deliberate misrepresentation, and they continue to warn the public to remain vigilant, especially in settings where sympathy or urgency is used to pressure people into giving money.
