Kampala, Uganda – A businessman accused of defrauding a Kenyan investor of sh1.3 billion has been placed in custody. Elijah Martin Rusoke, also known as Albert Kamugisha, appeared in City Hall Court on Wednesday. He faces charges of obtaining money through false pretenses and conspiring to commit a felony, as per information disclosed during the proceedings.
Rusoke’s alleged accomplice, Issa Muwonge, did not appear before Grade One Magistrate Edgar Kakaire, and both are implicated in the case. Prosecutors claim that the offenses were committed between July and August 2022 at Musangala and Co Advocates in Kampala. During this time, it is alleged that they fraudulently obtained 361,151.79 dollars (approximately 1.3 billion shillings) from James Mirimi, a Kenyan investor. They purportedly deceived Mirimi by falsely asserting that their company, Sagoo Electrical Uganda Limited, had secured a contract from the NRM Contracts Committee. The contract involved supplying generators for hospitals that were supposedly under construction in the country.
Rusoke, who denies the charges, has been remanded until September 12th, 2023, pending further investigation. The arrest was carried out collaboratively by the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and the police.
Court evidence reveals that the accused held multiple meetings, including at Parliament and Sheraton Hotel. During these meetings, they apparently signed a contract that claimed to be valued at USD 18 million (roughly 67 Billion shillings). It is alleged that they instructed the Kenyan investors to make an initial 2 percent payment, after which they would receive 70 percent of the total contract amount.
The Kenyan investors deposited USD 361,151.79 into the account of Musangala Advocates and solicitors. The agreement stipulated that they were to pay the remaining 70 percent by September 21st, 2022. However, they (Ugandans) went into hiding, and some of the suspects, including Rusoke and Muwonge, were subsequently apprehended.
Muwonge, who had been charged earlier, was granted bail approximately a year ago.