(Kampala) – The Ministry of Internal Affairs has detained two Cameroonians and a Nigerian for allegedly attempting to obtain Ugandan passports through fraudulent means. According to Ministry spokesperson Simon Mundeyi, the suspects acquired Ugandan national identity cards by deceit to pose as Ugandans.
The two Cameroonian nationals were identified as Saha Cruz Imaneke and Saha Urikoyuwi. Imaneke had changed his name to Kato Cruz, while Urikoyuwi was using the name Alex Wasswa. Mundeyi pointed out that both individuals claimed to be Baganda twins, yet neither could speak or understand Luganda, the language of the Baganda people.
The Nigerian suspect, originally named Rahman Adam, had altered his identity to Makenge Adam, pretending to be a Mufumbira from Western Uganda. During his arrest, authorities found both a Nigerian passport and a Nigerian national identity card in his possession.
The arrests were made public during a weekly joint security briefing held at the Uganda Police Force headquarters in Naguru, Kampala, on Monday, August 19, 2024. While the exact motive behind the suspects’ actions remains unclear, officials suspect that they intended to use the forged travel documents for illegal activities, including drug trafficking.
Mundeyi disclosed that the suspects confessed to paying Ugandans, whose names have been withheld, a sum of 10 million Ugandan shillings each to acquire the passports. He emphasized that the government has significantly tightened security measures around travel documents, particularly with the introduction of electronic passports, which are more difficult to counterfeit.
He further explained that due to these enhanced security features, criminals have turned to obtaining Ugandan national IDs using false identities, hoping to deceive the Immigration Office into issuing them passports.
| Suspect Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Nationalities | Cameroonian (2), Nigerian (1) |
| Suspect 1 | Saha Cruz Imaneke (aka Kato Cruz) |
| Suspect 2 | Saha Urikoyuwi (aka Alex Wasswa) |
| Suspect 3 | Rahman Adam (aka Makenge Adam) |
| Fraudulent Claims | Baganda twins, Mufumbira nationality |
Mundeyi urged anyone attempting to forge Ugandan travel documents to reconsider, warning that the system has become much more secure and that such actions now carry significant risks.
