Fake drug inspector arrested

By Carol Kasujja

The police have arrested a man in Kireka following allegations of impersonation.

Simon Julius Kaziwe, a resident of Kireka was arrested on Saturday at Kasokoso police station on receipt of information from David Okochi, a drug shop owner in Kira, that he was masquerading as an inspector of drugs from National Drug Authority.

It is alleged that Kaziwe has been falsely introducing himself to several drug shop owners in Bweyogerere, Kireka and Kawempe and cab driver as an official from NDA and a police officer attached to the IGP’s office to extort money from them.

“We received complainants from NDA officials that their was a man who was calling himself a doctor from NDA and was defrauding the public, we did our investigation and on Saturday as he had gone to pick the remaining balance from a drug shop owner, our sources contacted us and we arrested him in Kasokoso,” said the Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson Ibin Ssenkumbi.

Ssenkumbi noted that they are going to charge him for uttering false documents, forgery, obtaining money by false pretence and impersonation.

“We call upon anyone in the public who has any information about this man to work with the police as we are carrying out investigations,” he said.

During the arrest, Wycliffe Arinaitwe, NDA's law enforcement officer said that ever since they started late night operations of closing illegal clinics and pharmacies in June, people have been complaining about Kaziwe for extorting money from them and promise to give them licenses.

“We were aware about this man’s dubious actions of extorting money from the public claiming to be a senior inspector of drugs, we placed our contacts to some of the places he has been operating from and we alerted the police, and as he went to pick his balance of sh350, 000 on Saturday, he was arrested,” he said.

Arinaitwe called upon the public to be alert not to give money to masqueraders because NDA as an organization does not ask for money, and when they are carrying out their operations, they work as a team and use branded cars.

“Any other person who intends to masquerade in public that they work for NDA risk prosecution by the law,” Arinaitwe warned.