Four police officers have been dismissed from the Uganda Police Force over their alleged involvement in a $4 million (about Shs 15.6 billion) gold fraud scam.
Police constables Ayub Kurut, Emorat Raazak, Benon Waiswa and Waiswa Siraje were arraigned before the Police Disciplinary Court over the weekend and dismissed from the force. They will also face criminal prosecution over their alleged involvement in the scam.
The case came to light after a Dubai-based businessman, whose identity has been withheld, reported the matter to the Minerals Police Unit in Naguru last month.
The businessman alleged that Moses Asiimwe and his associates, operating under a company identified as Real Sunex Limited, had fraudulently obtained $4 million from him through a bogus gold transaction.
Police said further engagement with the complainant established that the suspects were allegedly preparing to obtain another $4 million from him using a similar scheme.
Police spokesperson Kituuma Rusoke said the revelation prompted a joint intelligence operation involving the police and the army. The operation led to the arrest of 16 people suspected to be members of the gold fraud syndicate in different parts of Kampala.
They include Moses Asiimwe, Rogers Mibenge, Edward Kiwanuka, Godfrey Kajubi, Thiery Songore, Bright Ajambo, Grody Matta Mayuku, Soreina Nakahose, William Masaba, Joseph Walusimbi, Anita Ampurire, Patrick Amani, Christian Mugoya, Dicken Kagarura, Grace Letta and Taboma Mbasa.
Security officers also recovered several exhibits, including suspected fake gold, documents believed to be connected to the scam and eight vehicles allegedly used in the operation.
According to Rusoke, investigations further established that the four police officers had abandoned their official deployments and instead stationed themselves at an illegal refinery in Kampala, where they allegedly provided security to the suspects.
“The officers allegedly withdrew from their respective areas of deployment without authorisation and deployed themselves in support of the gold fraud syndicate, which is a grave breach of the police professional standards code of conduct,” Kituuma said.
He said the four officers, alongside the other suspects, would face criminal proceedings. Police have cautioned people involved in the trade of gold and other precious minerals to conduct thorough due diligence on dealers before entering into high-value transactions.
Kituuma said some people in the precious minerals trade are attracted by the prospect of quick and unusually high profits, leading them to conduct transactions outside established regulatory channels.
“One of the challenges we have found and the briefing we are getting from the mineral police is that most of the people engaged in dealing in precious minerals have a tendency of doing things underground, wanting quick money, pursuing things which are highly profitable but operating in the dark, and when they get into trouble they come to us panicking looking for justice,” he said.
Police impersonators arrested
In a related operation, Counter-Terrorism Police in Entebbe arrested three men accused of impersonating police officers in an alleged attempt to rob a foreign investor.
The suspects, who were dressed in civilian clothes, allegedly claimed to be police officers on duty before demanding the investor’s passport and an unspecified amount of money at his apartment.
They were arrested after the investor’s roommate alerted the Counter-Terrorism Unit in Entebbe. Police said the suspects were found in possession of warrant cards and are being held in Entebbe.
They have been identified as John Piaus Osire, Piaus Girengero and Julius Emogu.
Preliminary investigations have linked the trio to two other alleged incidents targeting tourists and Indian nationals in Kitooro and Manyago, Entebbe.
Police suspect the group targeted foreign nationals in areas frequented by tourists, using forged security documents to gain access to their victims and rob them.
Officers repeatedly implicated
The latest arrests have renewed concerns about the involvement of some police officers in organised criminal activities, including fraud and robbery.
Police constables earn relatively modest salaries, with junior officers earning between about Shs 470,000 and Shs 500,000 a month, according to available police salary structures. Investigators say such financial pressures, coupled with weak supervision and other institutional gaps, can leave some officers vulnerable to recruitment by criminal networks.
However, the Force has repeatedly warned officers against using their positions to facilitate crime.
In January 2025, three officers attached to Interpol and Counter-Terrorism at Busia — Godfrey Kali, Peter Owiny and Oscar Odul — were arrested by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit for allegedly aiding the escape of gold scam suspect Najib Kasule.
Kasule was accused of defrauding an American national of $840,000 and was intercepted at the Uganda-Kenya border. In May 2025, four officers attached to the Flying Squad Unit in Kireka — James Besigye Kiguuya, Simon Owona, Pracid Mulangira and Monday Tibaijuka — were remanded to Luzira Prison by Nakawa Chief Magistrate’s Court.
They were accused of robbing businessman John Vian Tumukunde of one kilogramme of gold valued at $105,000 and $1,000 in cash at gunpoint along Solent Avenue in Nakawa Division.
The cases highlight the continuing challenge facing the police leadership in preventing officers from being recruited into criminal networks or using their official authority to facilitate crime.