A man who has been on the run after posing as a State House staff member and defrauding a Busia hotel of more than Shs5 million has been arrested in Kamuli District.
Solomon Buyizi Ssemakula was arrested on Thursday afternoon after security personnel intercepted him at the gate of Bupadhengo Primary School in Nawanyango Town Council, Buzaya Constituency, as he attempted to sneak into one of the ongoing NRM rallies.
The venue was where President Museveni was set to address his campaign rally in Kamuli district.
Special Forces Command spokesperson, Maj Jimmy Omara confirmed the arrest, noting that the law is going to take its course.
“As earlier communicated, we promised to bring the imposter to book, and today, police arrested him as he gained entry into yet another NRM rally in Busoga sub region,” Maj Omara said.
“We thank the people for helping security identify Buyizi, it’s through your cooperation that he was arrested.”
Background
Buyizi has been wanted since earlier this month after he allegedly checked into Gold Star Hotel in Busia Town on October 13, claiming to be attached to the Presidential Press Unit (PPU) as part of an advance team preparing for President Museveni’s scheduled visit.
Hotel manager Martin Tusiime said Buyizi confidently presented himself as a State House operative, booked a room for a month, and assured management that the rest of the PPU team would soon arrive to clear his bills.
Suspicion arose just four days into his stay, but the suspect repeatedly convinced staff that his superiors were en route and that he was part of a mobilisation team distributing T-shirts ahead of campaign activities.
For 34 days, Buyizi freely ate, drank, slept and used hotel services—accumulating a bill of Shs5 million. He allegedly attempted to mask his fraud by claiming he had sent mobile-money payments, which never appeared on the hotel’s account. Investigators believe he may have been sending and reversing transactions to mislead staff.
Matters escalated when Buyizi mobilised more than 200 boda boda riders, promising to pay each Shs20,000 for fuel to support his supposed mobilisation work. When the money never materialised, the angry riders stormed Gold Star Hotel, damaging the main gate and its automatic lock—costing the hotel an estimated Shs21 million in repairs.
By the time the imposter fled, he had even made advance bookings for additional days, causing the hotel to reserve rooms and turn away genuine customers. Police later established that he had taken advantage of the President’s campaign schedule—which indicated an NRM rally in Busia on November 15—to deceive the hotel management.
A case of theft was registered at Busia Police Station under SD Ref 38/13/11/2025. Investigations also suggest that Buyizi is affiliated with an event promoter only identified as Norbert, under Unstoppable Uganda.
How man posed as State House advance team member, accumulated Shs5m bill at Busia Hotel
