Police arrests State House impersonator

Police in Mayuge district is holding a 33-year-old man for allegedly posing as a State House official in charge of the health and monitoring unit.

The officer in charge of criminal investigations at Mayuge Police Station, Abdul Nasser Mulimira, identified the suspect as Godfrey Kauja, a resident of Mwezi village in Mpungwe sub-county in Mayuge.

Mulimira said that Kauja was arrested in Mpungwe trading centre after a tip off to Police.

He added that Kauja told drug operators that he was responsible for inspecting and licensing private pharmacies.

"He went to villages and started operations claiming that he was an officer from State House. He extorted money from private drug operators in the pretext of verifying their operational licenses,"
Mulimira said.

He added that he extorted sh100,000 to sh150,000 for drug operators who never had licenses.

However, speaking at Police after his arrest, Kauja denied the accusations. He said that he was consulting private drug operators on the business since he also had plans to open one.

"I was just consulting them on the business because I also have interest in starting one," Kauja said.

When consulted, Brian Arinitwe, the State House assistant director of health monitoring unit denied working with Kauja.

"He has never worked in State House and he is not in the health monitoring team," Arinitwe said adding that Kauja was organized his operations at the time when they were monitoring health facilities in the district.

"We don't defraud people. Our job is to monitor health facilities so as to improve the delivery of health services in the sector," Arinitwe said.

Mulimira said that a few weeks back, Kauja was arrested over posing as a district drug inspector but was released on Police bond. He added that he is to appear before the grade one magistrate this week.

"He is a second time offender on cases related to impersonation.  The first time he impersonated as drug inspector and now as a State House officer in the health monitoring unit," Mulimira said adding that he has been charged with impersonation and will be taken to court.