How finance ministry official, kyeyo returnee lost sh25b to fake pastors

Fresh details show that the Police probe into fake pastors involves two cases where unsuspecting followers were fleeced of property worth sh25b.

New Vision has exclusively learnt that the latest victims, who were conned in January this year, include a top finance ministry official and a returnee from the UK.

Posing as pastors by day and operating as witchdoctors by night, these fraudsters are preying on believers from whom they extort fortunes under the guise of special prayers.

Police investigations reveal that the senior finance ministry official lost property worth $1.4m (about sh5.1b) in the leafy suburb of Kololo, while an elderly woman whose son worked for 20 years in the UK, lost an estate in Bunga, Makindye division, valued at sh20b. Police declined to divulge the victims’ identities for fear of jeopardising investigations, which they said involve a wide network of players, including moneylenders.

How they do it

Police sources revealed that the fake witchdoctors-cum-pastors work closely with top city moneylenders to trap victims in a cycle of debt, from which they can never escape.

The scam typically begins with rich, but desperate believers seeking divine intervention through special prayers for healing or solving a family problem.

“The fraudulent pastors usually do their homework about their victims regarding the property they own. They then convince the victim that a ‘special prayer’ is required to solve their problems — one that comes at a price. They charge anywhere between sh50m and sh200m,” the source revealed.

When their victim cannot raise the money immediately, the detective revealed that the pastor proposes that they seek financial help from a moneylender.

“The victims are introduced to a ‘friendly’ moneylender, conveniently introduced as another church member with whom they pray regularly. The moneylender offers the funds, but demands land titles as collateral. With trust firmly established, victims unknowingly sign away their properties,” the source narrated.

With high interest rates, the debts soon spiral out of control and the moneylenders sell the property to recoup their money. At that time, victims try to seek the intervention of the ‘pastor’, who vanishes. This is when many realise that it was a syndicate, with the ‘pastor’ at the heart of the whole scam.

“Once the victim fails to repay the loan — often due to exorbitant interest rates — the moneylender invokes the sale agreement, seizing the property. By the time the victim realises they have been conned, their land or house has already had its ownership transferred,” the detective said.

This is exactly how the finance ministry official and the UK returnee lost their properties. One of them even collapsed while narrating the ordeal to the Police last week.

The Defence Intelligence and Security, formerly the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence, has since joined the Police in tracking down key suspects, who are on the run.

Police speaks out

While addressing the press on March 3, 2025, at the Police’s headquarters in Naguru, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma confirmed that law enforcement agencies were actively investigating ‘pastors’ who con unsuspecting members of the public.

“There are numerous victims who have fallen prey to these individuals. They have lost vast amounts of money and property due to false promises of miracles and supernatural healing.”

Police intelligence suggests that many of these churches double as shrines where pastors secretly engage in witchcraft, conducting traditional rituals under the cover of Christianity.

“During the day, they preach the gospel, but at night, their socalled places of worship turn into shrines where victims are spiritually manipulated and threatened,” Kituuma said, adding that some pastors have issued death threats to those who dare to expose them.

Ritual murders

This is not the first time authorities have investigated such fraudulent religious leaders.

In 2019, the former Police chief, Okoth Ochola, directed the Police’s homicide department to launch a probe after an intelligence report implicated several top city pastors in crimes including alleged ritual murders, defilement, extortion and possession of mass graves.

Investigators opened a general inquiry file (GEF) 567/2018 following complaints from whistleblowers and testimony from two pastors, who exposed the criminal dealings within some churches.

“The two pastors made statements to the Police detailing what is allegedly going on at some of these churches,” a source said.

Some pastors were also linked to ritual murders, allegedly performed to acquire supernatural powers to enable them to perform miracles.

At the time, about 20 pastors were investigated, with detectives combing through places of worship in Kampala, Wakiso and Mukono for more evidence. However, the findings of the report have never been made public.

Ethical standards

The National Religious and Faith- Based Organisations Policy 2023, which provides guidelines on establishing religious institutions, regulating untrained apostles, and ensuring accountability, has received unanimous endorsement from religious leaders countrywide.

Commenting on the policy recently, Alex Okello Bwangamoi, the permanent secretary in the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity, said it is not intended to restrict religious practices, but to protect both religious institutions and their followers from exploitation and manipulation.

“The aim is to promote transparency and accountability within religious organisations,” he explained, addressing misconceptions about the policy.

Habib Aluma, the secretary general of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council in West Nile, also welcomed the policy, emphasising that it aligns with religious ethics and integrity.

Fr. Pius Yobuta, the parish priest of Christ the King Parish in the Arua Catholic Diocese, said: “We are committed to fighting immorality, especially corruption within religious institutions, where many fail to be accountable to their followers.”

Tricks used on worshippers

From charismatic televangelists to small-town church pastors, some spiritual leaders have mastered the art of psychological manipulation.

Their tactics range from fake prophecies to staged miracles, all designed to exploit their followers financially and emotionally.

A case in point is a highly educated woman who lost sh40m to a city pastor. Hoping for a miracle to reunite with her husband, who was living in Canada, she was convinced to “sow a seed” by giving sh30m for prayers.

When nothing happened, the pastor demanded another sh10m, instructing her to scatter the money inside the church.

The woman later realised that she had been duped, and her father, who was battling cancer, lost the financial support meant for his treatment.

Another victim, Frances, was promised a husband and a honeymoon in Denmark. She was convinced to give away her car as an offering. When Frances later tried to reclaim it, she discovered the car had been involved in an accident. It was only through legal intervention that she managed to recover her vehicle.