Kampala, Uganda — The Uganda Police have strongly refuted a report published by the New Vision claiming that a 64-year-old American woman arrested in Ggaba had been “linked to an espionage-related racket.”
The article, which quoted Kampala Metropolitan Deputy Police Spokesperson Luke Owoyesigyire, alleged that suspect Mary Grace Miller was under investigation for espionage. Owoyesigyire has now dismissed this as “false,” stating that he never made such a remark.
“At no point did I make such a statement to the reporter,” Owoyesigyire said, adding that he has a record of his WhatsApp conversation with the journalist to prove it. “The matter under investigation has no connection whatsoever to espionage.”
According to police, the case began after a TikTok video went viral in early August 2025, showing a white woman collecting plastic bottles in Ggaba. The video was accompanied by claims that she had been scammed and was now surviving by selling the plastics. Concerned by the allegations, police traced the woman to verify the claims.
Preliminary findings revealed that Miller, a teacher by profession, entered Uganda through the Busia border in September 2022 on a three-month visit visa, which expired in December that year. She told investigators she had come to Uganda for a spiritual journey and had been attending prayers at Ggaba Catholic Church. Initially, she had UGX 20 million for her upkeep, which has since been exhausted. She has been living in a room provided by an acquaintance in Bunga.
Contrary to online speculation, police found no evidence that she had been scammed. She was briefly detained while authorities consulted with the Directorate of Immigration and the US Embassy, and has since been handed over to Immigration for further management.
Police are now appealing to New Vision to retract the “espionage” claim, stressing that such allegations misrepresent the facts and unfairly damage the woman’s reputation.
