Man Convicted for Defrauding Journalist Shs55M in Forged Land Deal

A court in Kampala has convicted a man who defrauded a journalist of Shs55 million by pretending to own and sell two plots of land in Wakiso District using fabricated land titles.

Buganda Road Chief Magistrate Ritah Neumbe Kidasa found Moses Mugalya, also known as Musajjawaza Achileo Migadde, guilty of obtaining money by false pretences, forgery, and uttering false documents. The charges stemmed from an April 2022 transaction where Mugalya falsely claimed ownership of two plots at Kiwale Nakwero and sold them to journalist Jamila Mulindwa Namuyiga.

During the trial, the prosecution proved all three charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The magistrate rejected the accused’s defense that the matter was merely a civil dispute. Court proceedings revealed that the victim, alongside a land broker, had inspected the plots in March 2022 and met Mugalya, who presented identification and documents claiming ownership of one plot while asserting he was in the process of transferring the second one.

The victim paid Shs48 million upfront at Twed Towers in Kampala and cleared the remaining Shs7 million the following day. However, when the documents were taken to the Ministry of Lands for processing, officials discovered the titles were forged, featuring fake signatures and incorrect office inscriptions. The genuine property owners later testified they had never sold their land to the accused.

In her ruling, the magistrate noted that Mugalya had used an identity card bearing another person’s name alongside his own photograph and personally received the fraudulent proceeds. The trial magistrate set November 9 for the sentencing of the accused, as reported by the Daily Monitor.