Siraje Ssemanda a lead pastor at Revival Ministries Church, Bombo has been arrested along the Mutukula boarder as he tried to escape to Tanzania for allegedly defrauding hundreds of pastors, 400 private school owners and thousands of parents of vulnerable children.
The suspect has been arrested on Sunday evening by the State House Anti Corruption Unit.
Pastor Ssemanda allegedly connived with Pastor Franklin Mugisha Mondo and Presidential Advisor on Kampala Affairs Catherine Kusasira to swindle over 4 billion from the victims by promising them trips abroad and connecting them to income generating schemes under Operation Wealth Creation. They also promised to take them to President Yoweri Museveni for a meeting.
On Saturday, a group of pastors under their umbrella body- Hands Across the World petitioned Lt Col Edith Nakalema, the State House Anti Corruption Unit Head accusing Kusasira, Mondo and Ssemanda of soliciting from them over Shs4 billion.
The accomplices used the President’s name and First Lady Janet Kataha Museveni to allegedly commit the fraud.
“They collected money from us promising to take us to Israel, pay school fees for our children as well as income-generating schemes under Operation Wealth Creation. Each one of us paid more than Shs100, 000 but since then we have never received anything, ” One of the pastors told Col Nakalema during a meeting.
” One time we had a meeting and Catherine Kusasira told us that she was representing the President. She assured us that whatever we were promised was to be fulfilled,”he added.
On her part, Col Nakalema assured the aggrieved pastors that their issue would be investigated and worked upon accordingly.
“On behalf of the State House we are very sorry for what happened to you. We are going to work with the responsible authorities to ensure that justice is prevailed,” Nakalema asserted.
However, responding to the allegations, Pastor Mondo said that he has never been a director of Hands Across the World organization and that he is just a victim of Pastor Ssemanda.
” Ladies and Gentlemen I’m. Here to make this clear and to clear the Air, I have never been a Director in Hands Across the world organization,, I’m not a Director I have not signature on any Document of this organization..Just to make this clear I’m a Silent Victim like many,”Mondo said in a Facebook post on Sunday morning.
” Pastor,Silajje Invited me like many of his preaching guest he invited after I became a Victim..He has been inviting many high profile people to his church.I find it funny my name on Media…Tarnishing my name.I don’t work for Presidents office..I have never written to any body in the name of the president…it’s all blackmail.”
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