Businessman remanded over sh740m property fraud

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The Anti-corruption Court on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, remanded Ibrahim Kavuma, an alleged city businessman, to Luzira Prison on charges of forgery, uttering false documents, obtaining money by false pretence and money laundering.

The move followed Kavuma and others who are still at large, allegedly using falsified documents, including a certificate of title, sale agreements, and transfer forms, to deceive a victim into believing that he was the legitimate owner of the property that he allegedly sold at over $205,556 (approximately shillings 740 million).

The matter was investigated by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU), which said Kavuma went into hiding after receiving the money from the victim.

SHACU, in a statement released on Tuesday, said, “In collaboration with the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP), Kavuuma was arrested and arraigned before the Anti-Corruption Division.”

The statement further noted that Kavuma, along with other accomplices still at large, was accused of fraudulently selling a house in Bunga.

Kavuma was remanded until October 8, 2025.

SHACU noted that investigations are still ongoing with efforts to recover the stolen funds.

Threat to stability 

Statistics show that fraud continues to pose a significant threat to the stability and integrity of Uganda’s banking and financial services sector.

A total of 110 cases of bank and other corporate fraud crimes were reported to the Police in 2024, constituting 0.8% of the economic crimes registered in the country.\

These frauds manifest themselves in various forms, ranging from money laundering, other corporate frauds terrorism financing, according to the Police’s 2024 annual crime report that was released on February 19, 2025.

A total of 13,132 cases of economic and corruption crimes were reported to the Police in 2024, compared to 12,924 cases in 2023, giving a 1.6% increase in this crime category.

Obtaining money by false pretence registered the highest number of cases in this crime category in 2023 (10,449 cases), followed by forgery and uttering documents with 894 cases and counterfeiting with 209 cases.

By the end of 2024, out of the total cases of economic and corruption crimes reported to the Police, 3,494 cases were taken to court, 3,494 not proceeded with, while 6,856 were still under inquiry by the time of releasing the report.

Out of the total cases taken to court, 1,016 cases secured convictions, 64 cases were acquitted, 416 cases were dismissed, while 1,998 cases were still pending in court.

Kampala Metropolitan Police (KMP) South Region registered the highest number of cases of economic crimes in 2023 (2,069 cases), followed by KMP North with 1,914, KMP East with 1,097, Rwizi with 796, Greater Masaka with 579, Busoga East with 470 and North Kyoga with 462.

Recorded crime across Uganda decreased by 4.1% last year, with cases dropping from 228,074 in 2023 to 218,715.