Buganda Road Chief Magistrate’s court has convicted and sentenced Abubaker Bakka, 52, to nine months in prison for forging and uttering documents falsely attributed to the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Beti Olive Namisango Kamya Turwomwe.
Bakka, also known as Muwalimu Bakka, was convicted on Friday by senior principal grade one magistrate Winnie Nankya Jatiko after changing his plea to guilty. He admitted to the facts presented by the prosecution, acknowledging that he and Kamya were once members of the same political party, Uganda Federal Alliance (UFA).
The case dates back to November 2010, when Bakka allegedly served Kamya, through her political assistant, with a court summons under civil suit no. 048, claiming he had filed a lawsuit against her.
The summons were accompanied by two letters purportedly signed by Kamya herself, which she vehemently denied. One of the forged letters was dated 2010, signed by Kamya as the founder of the Uganda Federal Alliance Party, while the other was dated November 2020, when Kamya served as the minister in Charge of Lands before her appointment as the IGG.
The forged letters resurfaced in January 2024, when Bakka attempted to present them to detective inspector of police Betty Monica Kyakuwaire at the CID headquarters in Kibuli. A thorough investigation by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) confirmed the documents were forged, identifying Bakka as the mastermind behind the scheme.
Bakka was arrested and first arraigned before the Buganda Road court on May 9, 2024, facing two counts of forgery and two counts of uttering false documents. Although he initially denied all charges, he later pleaded guilty after serving nine months on remand and hearing evidence from four witnesses, including Kamya herself.
The prosecution, led by chief state attorney Joan Keko from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, presented a strong case detailing Bakka’s fraudulent activities spanning over a decade.
In his defense, Bakka pleaded for leniency, explaining that he is a family man with a wife and school-going children who depend solely on him for survival. He added that he had not wasted the court’s time and resources and had shown remorse throughout his time on remand.
Despite his plea for a non-custodial sentence, magistrate Nankya sentenced him to nine months’ imprisonment for each offence, with all sentences to run concurrently.
Considering his time already spent on remand and his remorsefulness, the court ruled that Bakka’s term effectively ends with the time already served. The magistrate also warned Bakka against repeating his forgery activities in the future.